The following blog was written from this past Wednesday's (April 30th) point of view; I didn't want to re-work my opening paragraph.

Ah, lunchtime - the best part of the work day. Today's lunch consisted of not just good food, but a few good games as well. I just got back from Gamestop; traded in some old games and got a few new ones.

Traded in:

ESPN NBA 2K5

ESPN NFL 2K5

ESPN NHL 2K5

Rallisport Challenge 2

These are all great games (except Rallisport Challenge 2 I can't vouch for; I bought it used and it never worked), but I just don't play them. Sports games and I have a somewhat rocky relationship, as I usually only play them when I have friends over. But, I'll save that discussion for another time.

That said, here are the games I picked up - after my sweet trade-in value of fifty-five cents kicked in!

Picked up:

Need For Speed Most Wanted

Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3

X-men Legends

Of the three, I've only had time to play Most Wanted, but I'll hopefully check out the other ones soon. Yoshi's Island is an old favorite of my wife's and Legends received good reviews - so once I get to them, I know I won't be disappointed.

We even had some friends over to try out Most Wanted, but we ended up having more fun with Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. Hey, whatever works - I just want the games on and the people happy.

This past Friday (April 25th) was Ladies' Night for our church group. That meant the guys were stuck at home with the kids.

Now, I use the term "stuck" very loosely, because - while it can be a little more stressful with kids - hanging out with your friends is hanging out with your friends. So, we were able to talk, eat, and just have a good time in general.

That's all well and good, but how does this night relate to games? Ah, here's the part where we come to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. After the kiddos went to bed, this allowed a few of us to head to the basement for some FPS action. I've never played the game before, so I was looking forward to seeing it.

To put it simply, it was fun. I was able to hang in there with the guys I was playing against, and that always makes things easier. Nothing is worse then playing with a new group and getting blown away. Dying every ten seconds can easily become boring.

I had two impressions from the game. First: what's the big deal? Yes the graphics look nice, but really - is it that much better than every other war-themed first-person shooter? We only played multiplayer that night, but that's what seems to be the major selling point of the game anyway. Second: the more I played, the more I saw why this is such a highly-rated game. The weapons handled expertly, from the sniper to grenades. The knife swipe was a nice touch as well! The environments were all well done, with some of the indoor sections of the maps making for some intense action.

My verdict? A great game, one that seems pretty standard at first but begins to prove the hype the more you play. I had the feeling that the more time I played the game, the more appreciation I would have for it.

I also had the feeling that I wanted to play with more people! There were only two of us set up, but to see a match with more people would have been great.

Someday, I hope to play this game on my own Xbox 360. Of course, that will be when our economy has reverted back to the barter system. "I'll give you three sheep for that 360!"

Sid Meier's Pirates! has been on my "play this soon" list ever since I bought it late last year. There are many games on that list, and all for various reasons. What struck me about Pirates!, however, was the fact that I didn't want to play it because I knew it would be fun.

Let me explain.

I know I've mentioned this before, but I just don't have the time like I used to for games anymore. I'm not whining (well, maybe a little); it's just how things work as life goes on.

That said, I knew Pirates! would be a great game, something I would want to play all the time - so I put it off. Yes, it would be a blast - but think of all the time and effort I would have to put into it! As anyone with a family and job knows, time is the most precious thing you can have - not easily found and when it is, easily wasted.

I knew the game wouldn't be a waste of time, I just knew it would take up time - and I got lazy.

All that has changed, however, as I actually committed to playing it - and I'm now in my sixth game year as a pirate. I'm not the laziest pirate anymore! Plus the game lends itself to being able to pick up and play at anytime, so I know I can always come back to it if I can't squeeze it in.

Some thoughts on the game play so far:

- I've chosen the easiest setting, and so far things have been very easy. Ship battles, sword fights, dances, etc. - I know they would all be much more difficult on a higher setting. But, as I mentioned above - time is precious; I want to get through the game relatively quickly without too much stress. So far, so good.

- I'm already the second most notorious pirate in the Caribbean, with nine down and one to go. It seems a little off that in order to move up in rank, I just have to bump into the next pirate's ship and sink him. This may have to do with the difficulty setting, but I'm just saying it seems a little cheap when I just happen upon a pirate captain and take him out without a thought. Shouldn't there be more of a build up to dispatch these dastardly foes? Again, is may just be the easy Apprentice setting.

- I've chosen to sail under the English flag, and so far I've conquered two settlements for the motherland. For one I was able to duel my way in, the other (and tougher of the two) was a land battle.

- Still can't get the British governor of Barbados's daughter to marry me. I've given her a ruby ring, fought her fiancé, danced the night away with her several times - still nothing. Since I'm sailing under the English flag, I want an English bride - and one from the English capitol port in the Caribbean would be perfect. What else does a guy have to do?

- Dancing can get very tedious. It was fun at first, but now the songs seem to drag on and on...

- Right out of the gate, I had five ships...then quickly realized that was a bad idea. My small fleet was hard to steer, and it's hard to keep all hands happy as food can run out quickly. So, now I cruise around in one powerful ship, the H.M.S. Achilles, and rule the seas from there.

- Since I'm trying to stay true to my country, I'm somewhat limited in what I can do. I don't want to attack British ships or settlements, no matter how much booty I may get out of it.

- There are certain aspects of the game that I know I haven't utilized - and I want to at some point; these include sacking a town by sneaking in, sending natives to attack towns, using the pirate towns more (including sending them to attack other cities - I haven't figured out how to use that to my advantage), conquering more towns for England, understanding and using the Abbeys, escorting refugees, and acquiring more land.

- The maps you're supposed to follow in this game are messed up - and by "messed up" I mean you can't read them to save your life. The treasure map I have is nearly worthless, as I've wasted (game) weeks on it. The other map is supposed to lead to my sister, and it's just as messed up (sigh). I'm sure there's a trick to it, I just haven't learned it yet.

- I really enjoy the experience of being able to play the game any way you want. Attacking where, when, and who you want, trading, customizing your ship with flags, etc. You really get a sense of being on the open ocean, master of your own destiny. On the flip side, it can be a little overwhelming since there is so much you can do, but little goals the game gives you keep you focused.

- When you're fighting ship to ship, I love the little details that draw you in. For example, the controller shudders when your cannons are completely loaded and your men yell. This gives you an extra sense of satisfaction when you fire at the opposing ship. Being able to vary your shot type adds a nice layer of strategy to the fights as well.

I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of at the moment.

Simply put, I'm enjoying a game I knew I would - and I'm glad I made the time for it.

Halo has been happening around me lately, with two recent examples proving yet again why this game is fun.

Last Tuesday night (April 15th) we went over to family's house for a cook-out; burgers on the grill, fresh-baked cookies for dessert, etc. - a really great night. What capped if off, however, was the fact that my brother-in-law recently hooked up Xbox Live again.

So after a long day at the office and a fun night with family, I went home and went to bed - right? Wrong! I did my duty and after tucking everyone in to bed at our place, drove back to the in-law's house and played some slayer! It was a blast to be back on live again; even at the late hour there were still plenty of people playing Halo 2. There were even new maps I hadn't seen yet, which is always a bonus. I was definitely a little rusty, but got back into the groove pretty quick.

Many thanks to my brother-in-law who not only extended the invite, but let me hang out until 2:30 a.m.

If that wasn't enough, we had friends over the next night (April 16th) - and a certain game was played for roughly four hours. That certain game? Halo: Combat Evolved. This is the couple my wife and I had introduced to Halo, and they couldn't wait to play. Rockets on Derelict, Slayer on Prisoner, even some sniping on Boarding Action - very cool.

The girls did great in their own right, with a certain someone getting to know and loving the red B button. We all had a great time, and finished up past midnight.

All this to say, Halo is still pulling its weight when many other games have out-lived their fun. Hail the Maser Chief!

This wrinkle deals with the hours and hours I've spent playing GoldenEye 007 for the N64. It was Halo before there was Halo, and this game was the first to really show me that playing with others was fun.

My first year of college saw me play some games - and even systems - I never had before (a baseball game for the Sega Saturn comes to mind). But what kept me up at night, what kept me late for (or even missing) lectures was multiplayer on GoldenEye.

With a list of great and varied maps, fun weapons (I enjoyed the Moonraker laser), and cool modes (no guns, just a hand slap to the back of the head!), the game had everything needed to keep half the guys on the top floor of the dorm playing all day.

Whoever won the match got the pick the map and weapon, and everyone had their specialties - whether proxies, rocket launchers, etc. In GoldenEye, as in Halo today, I still vote for the bigger stuff - evens the playing field a little bit.

Believe me, I needed all the help I could get - those guys were merciless, and I rarely found myself at the top of the heap. Losing is an art, one I'd like to think I've mastered.

Still, while I occasionally got sick of being pummeled, it wouldn't take long before I was back for more - the game was just that good.

And now, a shameless Bond reference in closing:

"For the record, I enjoy my GoldenEye shaken, not stirred."

This is the second entry into a series about great moments from my gaming past. These wrinkles in time refuse to go away in my conscience, and I want to get them down before all the details are lost. The events are not in chronological order.

I owe a lot to the Metal Gear series. As someone who enjoys the storytelling aspects of video games, the adventures of Snake and crew never disappointed (Okay, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty wasn't as good, but I wouldn't say disappointing). High drama, great characters, and with more cut scenes then you could shake a stick at, I had no trouble getting sucked into the games.

If I enjoy a series, I want to get all I can out of it - and this brings me to Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions. A good friend from my first year of college had a Playstation, and I rented the game. Essentially a puzzle game with a gun, VR missions was fun and challenging to play. Playing through the game gives you a percentage of how much you have completed, and I figured I would just get as far as I could before taking it back.

But my friend had been watching me play, and got caught up - it became an obsession for both of us as we played along into the night for a few nights straight in order to try and complete the game at 100%. I'm sure courses were missed, and I know sleep was lost, but we just keep going. Many times we looked at the time limit running out, frantically trying to reach or complete the goal on time. Each stage became our personal enemy, keeping us from our goal and laughing at our mistakes.

If I remember correctly, we ended up completing over 99% of the game. I believe there were only two stages left that we just couldn't beat, no matter how hard (or how many times) we tried. I'm sure if we owned the game we would have made it to 100%, but it was due back - money is very precious to a college student.

This moment sticks in my mind because of how the game just took us over - me, who liked the source material, and my friend, who had never even heard of it. We both dropped whatever we had going and focused all of our energy on destroying every floating geometric shape that got in our way. I don't know if Konami had that exact goal in mind when they developed the game, but if so - mission accomplished.

Over at my brother-in-law's house the other night for one purpose: to Brawl, and Brawl hard. That goal was met in spades, and I really had a great time.

I have to confess I had more fun than my previous outing at Super Smash Bros. Brawl, simply because I actually won some matches - including my first on-line.

Kirby and Meta Knight were my warriors of choice, and using the Gamecube controller I was actually able to establish some moves and use them. I've tried using the Wii controllers, but I just couldn't get comfortable.

After the Brawl, things mellowed out a little and my father-in-law joined us for some bowling. I don't know why, but bowling on the Wii is fun - really fun. I don't understand it...but I'm not going to fight it!

We also busted out a little Wii Play, and then it was a few more games of Brawl until midnight.

It's not the marathon sessions I pulled off in college, but any night gaming with friends and family is always a good time.

A few notes on what's going on in my world of gaming:

- Freespace 2: Still plugging away, and getting closer all the time. A couple highlights have really kept me in it; namely destroying the Sathanas. After taking out all the beam cannons of the Sathanas in the previous mission, this mission ("High Noon") was a piece of cake. The GTVA Colossus just wailed away with its beam cannons while I watched from a safe distance. All this was, of course, followed by a huge, satisfying explosion.

The next mission, "Return to Babel," started off fast and furious; two squadrons shooting a whole slew of missiles at the Shivan cruisers, and they respond by promptly blowing up. I have to say these recent missions are really showing off the game - saving the best for last, so to speak.

After the discovery of another (or several, I couldn't see in the nebula) Sathanas juggernaut located around a newly-discovered Knossos portal in the next mission (Mission 33: "Straight, No Chaser"), the enemy toasted the GVD Psamtik and I was jumping out of the nebula. This brings me to Mission 34: "Argonautica," where I'm trying to save the good ol' GTD Aquitaine.

Will I be able to do it? Is it possible that I will finish a game that has owned me for nearly ten years? Stay tuned!

- Puzzle Quest: Level seven with my wizard. My wife is currently on the highest level possible (fifty), and I can only hope that by the time our kids have graduated from college that I will have caught up.

I'm stuck on a vampire bat, a bat which my wife's knight could kill just by looking at it. Whatever level you're at, the game is fun.

- Super Smash Bros. Brawl: A friend came over last night and brought the Brawl. We had a good time, but let's just say I have to get used to the idea that winning isn't everything.

Last night I was privileged to go to a bachelor party, first to a restaurant and then back to the bachelor pad. I could go on and on about how times like that with my friends and family serve as a reminder of what's really important in life, but that's not what this blog is about - it's about the games!

So, I'll get right to it - here's a breakdown of the gaming that went on:

-Rock Band - What is the first thing you do after going out to eat? You come home and you ROCK! That's exactly what we all did when we got back to his place, with Rock Band humming in the Xbox 360.

I had never played the game before, but now I can see what all the fuss is about. As a party game, this has to be my favorite hands down. With everyone jumping in on vocals, drums, or guitar, we all had a blast jamming to each of the songs.

That's what makes the game great - all ages were able to sit down, do the same thing, and have a great time.

The game shines when you have a big group like that, but I don't see how it could be just as fun by yourself. Granted I've never tried - but it just seems like something would be missing. It is called a rock band, after all.

Favorite tunes were "Enter Sandman," "Ballroom Blitz," and "Say It Ain't So," for various reasons.

-Halo 3 - I finally got to play this thing! There's not too much to say - it was ****c Halo, pure and simple. I only played multiplayer, and the action was familiar and fun - I got chills when the theme song came on. Hopefully when I can afford a next generation system (in ten years), people will still be playing this game.

-Assassin's Creed - Amazing game to look at, and a very Splinter Cell-ish kind of feel to it - sneaking around, clever kills, etc. The mission I saw was a little too free-roaming for my taste, but to be fair I didn't quite understand the mission objectives. I'm really into the historical subject material, so it stands to reason that once I know what the heck I'm doing I'll love the game. Again, hopefully this game will still be available for purchase when I can get a next generation system. (Please see comment in parentheses in above paragraph as to how long I think that will be.)

-Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Good times with the Brothers of Smash. I like the series (another game I think can best be enjoyed with a friend or two), but I wasn't exactly counting down the days to play it. It was a lot of fun, although I didn't see a big difference from Super Smash Bros. Melee - I'm assuming that's because I just button-mash when I play the game.

That said, the backgrounds were just as crazy as ever and I like having more characters to choose from - although I still love the Kirbster!

Closing to's:

- To get all that action in, you can imagine it ended up being a very late night - I left his place at 2:30 a.m. Well worth it to get that quality line-up in, however.

- To play those four great games all in a row and in one night is something every gamer can appreciate.

- To the bachelor - congrats, all the best, and thank you!

Let's be honest - as a rule, games based on movies don't work. But simple math provides the reason as to why these bad games keep happening: movies make $$$ + games make $$$ = games based on movies will make $$$.

There are two movies coming out this summer I'm looking forward to which will undoubtedly be made into video games - and I'm nervous:

The Dark Knight

Iron Man

I hope things change. I hope, starting now, that we no longer will have to fear movie-based games.

But only time will tell. . .