This weekend was taken hostage by the Halo: Reach beta since Bungie just released a new gamemode to be tested out on; invasion. Invasion is c.lassic spartans vs elite with Battlefield-esque game play; defending points from the elite that they must capture. Also included is invasion team slayer (my personal favorite) adds rewards for teams that are more aggressive at capturing random points throughout the map by capturing these points the teams will get weapon and vehicle drops. It's a great new twist on team slayer and I wonder why there hasn't been a mode like this before and also how am I going to go back to playing Halo 3 when the beta is over? Quite the dilema, I know.

I dove into the Guild Wars: Trilogy for awhile with my friend Andy since it had a good sale on Steam at only $20. We quested through barren lands and fought a lot of weird rock enemies until it came to a bitter end by getting surrounded by enemies that kept healing each other which made Andy and I bitter and rage quitting the game for awhile. I'm rethinking the whole warrior thing and might just change to a ranger so I don't have to worry about tanking, the NPCs are pretty awesome at that.

Speaking of rage quitting I had some pretty bad experiences with Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 on Saturday though it wasn't too bad because I was playing with my friends but there are just some of those days where I can't hit anything or see anybody. Frustrating at times but I managed to rank up.

To top the weekend off I managed to complete Splinter Cell: Conviction on Realistic difficulty, it was quite difficult but very satisfying. Now I need to get on some of that Co-op realistic campaign and delve more into the Last Stand deniable ops mode. It's going to be awhile but I know it's going to be enjoyable.

I bounced around all weekend between games, how about you? What did you manage to play?

Usually around this time games start to trickle down in the Summer months before the Fall rush of exciting new games. Most gamers have to keep themselves busy with something else in the meantime but for me this is not the case, I'm probably going to be extra busy during the Summer drought.

First off for many of us Halo: Reach multiplayer beta is starting on Monday, May 3rd and is going to be keeping a lot of us happy and entertained during the summer, hopefully you were smart to pick up ODST so you can join in on the beta. This is going to suck a lot of my time away.

Second of all I have a lot of games to be catching up on. Two of which are some massive RPGs; Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2. These are probably the most time consuming of the games that I need to catch up on and will take most of my dedication to beat but I'm trying to finish Dragon Age before moving onto Mass Effect 2 and after those maybe Final Fantasy XIII? Bioshock 2 came out but I still never played the first one, so in between those RPGs I'm trying to fit some quality Bioshock time in there as well before moving on to the second. I still haven't touched Left 4 Dead 2 The Passing DLC yet so I definitely want to take that on as soon as possible as well.

On the Nintendo side of things I still need to play through Super Paper Mario. I've always loved the series Paper Mario but for whatever reason skipped out on this one when it was first released. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is a DS title I need to finish as well but the problems with these two games is that they are RPGs as well! Slowly but surely I'll etch my way through.

All these games going on but I still like to squeeze Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction in with some friends and with Red Dead Redemption coming out soon I know I'll have to add that to the backlog list of must plays. Take a break video game companies I need to catch up!

I love the Zelda franchise. Probably my favorite out of all other franchises out there, I got into it around the Link to the Past days on the SNES, didn't finish it, then really got into it when Ocarina of Time was released then one summer (and a lot more months after) I went back and completed all the other Zelda games in existence and have always loved and followed the series since. Each Zelda title brings something new to the table, whether it's putting on masks, riding on a train, turning into a wolf or sailing the open seas it keeps the series from getting too repetitive within itself but also maintaining that Zelda feel to the game. New additions to the game are welcome but these are a few things I would like to see maintained or added for the upcoming Zelda Wii title.

1.) Motion control excellence. Obviously this Zelda title being the first exclusive Zelda on the Wii and with the new Motion Plus it's exciting to wonder how combat or puzzles will be affected by motion. I foresee some great combat potential with Link and probably being able to swing that sword any way you want, just don't hit the TV or else we'll hear it all over the news how the Wii destroys homes. Hopefully it won't be too out of hand though or else we'll all wake up with a case of "Wii Shoulder" in the morning.

2.) More Dungeons! I love me some dungeons with some good ol' fashioned puzzles and enemies to slay. It was the best in A Link to the Past, just when you thought it was the end...BAM! Dark World. Eight more temples! GO! It was surely awesome and it kept me glued to the screen. Ocarina of Time also had a fair share of dungeons so I'm hoping the new Zelda will not disappoint.

3.) Collectibles. Almost every Zelda game has them. Hidden rabbits, gold skulltulas or treasure maps Zelda Wii needs something to keep players like me striving for that 100% completion and also making the replay value much greater. Wind Waker was chalk full of them and I kept going back for more sailing the seas for hours on end.

4.) Heart Pieces. This is more of a rant against the portable Zeldas (Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks) that don't have heart pieces because once you get a heart you gain one automatically to your life, no collecting 4 pieces first. I hope Zelda Wii continues on the path for having individual heart pieces, this adds more side questing to the game and also like collectibles, more replay value.

5.) Different Tunics. Ocarina of Time had different tunics for water and fire then your normal green but I think it could be expanded more. Maybe more defense for one but move slower and visa-versa for the other one much like how Link's Awakening did adding more defense with the red tunic and more offense with the blue tunic. Variety is good.

6.) More sword and shield options. We all know how awesome the Hylian Shield, Master Sword combo is but it was also awesome when players had the option to get other shields like the Big Goron Sword or equip the Mirror Shield from Ocarina of Time. If Zelda Wii had more options I think it would encourage a lot of players to strive for something different and appeal to more.

7.) Stay with Link. Majora's Mask had Link transform when wearing certain masks and Twilight Princess had Link transform into a Wolf in the Twilight Realm, this was a nice switch from the ordinary but at the end of the day you realize that the times playing as Link is just much better and hopefully in Zelda Wii the game stays with Link.

8.) Exploration/Hidden areas. Big open worlds are fun and all but if there isn't anything hidden to look for where is the fun in that? I love to explore in Zelda games and can spend hours just in the overworld searching for hidden areas under boulders or under the sea. Wind Waker was an exceptional example of exploration.

9.) Downloadable Content. It's more of a pipe dream thinking Nintendo would release some DLC for Zelda Wii in the future adding some more content to the game but I can't see that happening just yet.

10.) Return of Kaepora Gaebora. The wise Owl was one of the best Zelda characters and an excellent guide for Link. Not to mention an awesome theme song when you talked to him. He was seen in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask and Link's Awakening.

Mass Effect 2

Who wouldn't be excited about this upcoming game? Maybe only the ones that missed out on the first one but no one really should have, it was a great Sci-Fi action RPG and the sequel is supposed to improve on everything making it an early contender for Game of 2010. It's Bioware, do they ever do us wrong?

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

The first Bad Company showcased the Frostbite Engine which meant basically everything in the world could be blown up and it did not disappoint. Bad Company 2 has already announced that the Engine will be much improved over the previous title and recently just announced was the new squad deathmatch mode that allows several small squads compete in one big multiplayer game. Should be awesome, it also might pull me away from Modern Warfare 2 for awhile.

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction

Does Tom Clancy even know how awesome his games are or that they are still being made? He should know about this one because I'm sure a lot of players are following the news on it. Returning with a co-op mode and a Sam Fisher that is more agile and brutal (even though he should be pretty old now if you follow the timeline) looking for his daughters killer. If you've seen the movie Taken, just imagine Liam Neeson's character as Sam Fisher: an old badass.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

After playing the demo I can't praise this game much more. Following the story of Naked Snake or "Big Boss" in Costa Rica as he attempts to discover an unknown military group that has taken over. Bringing an excellent cooperative game into the mix and the ability to choose your loadout or "suit," Peace Walker is sure to please many fans old and new.

Pokemon Heart Gold/ Soul Silver

Anybody who has played the original Pokemon Gold/Silver on the Gameboy has to be excited about this game! They were probably the best in the series and they are about to be improved for the Nintendo DS. Any old fan that now thinks they are too cool for Pokemon come to my house and tell me you aren't excited for this game with a straight face or I won't believe you.

Halo: Reach

I've always been a fan of Halo and the idea of a game revolved around the Spartans is even more exciting. Set to hopefully be released in Fall of 2010 and the multiplayer beta is being released earlier it is sure to keep players satisfied until the official launch.

Games I didn't play but probably would have made an impact:

Uncharted 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Mario & Luigi: Bower's Inside StoryWith those games being announced I'm sad I didn't get a chance to play them because I know they are gaining a lot of attention for being great games but I don't have the time and I also don't have a PS3 (that one was more geared for Uncharted 2).

Best of 2009:

Best Xbox 360:

Halo 3: ODST

I really enjoyed this title amongst others and amongst other Halo titles as well. I thought the dark setting and the great soundtrack really set this one apart from other titles and brought the player in well within the environment. The new Firefight mode also brought a new multiplayer mode to the game that was fitting for the ODST setting and is very enjoyable. If you haven't picked this game up already I highly recommend it.

Best Wii:

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Truthfully the Wii didn't have much of a big year compared to other consoles but this game really stood out and was hyped. It was worth the wait, this is a very enjoyable game alone but even better with friends. It's almost like Nintendo should have thought of this idea sooner but it's here now and it's awesome.

Best Nintendo DS:

Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Spirit Tracks adds everything that made Phantom Hourglass great and fixes a lot of the problems it had making this DS Zelda title a great one with new challenges and puzzles that make it a fresh new experience. Amongst the slew of DS titles that were released in 2009 this game stood out at the top.

Best PSP:

Dissidia: Final Fantasy

A much anticipated title when first announced, a Final Fantasy game that would include all the heroes and villians from FF I through FF X fighting in a s.tyle much like Super Smash Bros. but with added depth from adding armor, equipping summons and fully customizing your move set. Dissidia is an excellent addition to the PSP collection that has enough replay value to last through the next year.

Best Console Multiplatform:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Possibly the most hyped game of the year surely delivered it's best on the Xbox 360, PS3 and the PC and became a must-have for all video game players boasting a riveting storyline and an excellent multiplayer and a new special ops game play mode distinguished this title from others. I'm sure many will be playing this for years to come.

Best Handheld Multiplatform:

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars returns to it's birds-eye view camera roots to the PSP and DS. A great storyline to follow and many new added features makes this a lengthy game on the go. Chinatown wars is a great game to have on a handheld on those long trips, you can spend hours just doing the optional side quests and to top it all off it comes with an excellent multiplayer mode.

Best Original Game:

Brutal Legend

An outstanding cast of voice actors and the creative mind of Tim Schafer makes Brutal Legend a hit new title with great characters, epic monsters and an awesome soundtrack makes this action/adventure title a sure hit.

Best Indie:

Machinarium

Machinarium is a very beautiful looking point-and-click adventure title that has puzzles that will make anyone stop and think for awhile. Machinarium had a very whimsical feel to it but at the same time a very dark one that told the story of a young robot reuniting with his robot girlfriend. It's a great indie title that everyone should check out.

Best Shooter:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Call of Duty has always been pretty awesome and Modern Warfare 2 proved that it's a series that's not about to slow down. With many new and old weapons and a bunch of attachments that will keep any FPS fan coming back for more.

Best Best Strategy:

Plants vs. Zombies

I bought Plants vs. Zombies out of the blue when it was on sale on Steam and if I would have known how addicting this game was from the beginning I would have bought it sooner, sale or no sale. First of all plants against a horde of zombies is the last kind of defense you would think about but when you see what the arsenal of the plants can do you will be reassured. With more unlockable plants to earn this is a game that will have you hooked for a long while.

Best Sports:

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

Despite all the bad publicity Tiger Woods has been getting as of late his games are always good and PGA Tour 10 continues that pattern. With a much easier way to putt and the Live Weather Feed your experience with golfing just got a whole lot better. Just ignore the sometimes annoying commentary and for a much better experience play the Wii version with the new Motion Plus.

Best Action/ Adventure:

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Who said superhero games were all bad? Well, it'susuallytrue but Batman is out to break that mold. Arkham Asylum makes you feel like the best superhero out there with an awesome combat system and sweet stealth moves will bring fear into the hearts of your enemies. The dark setting fits well with this Batman title and the Jokers crazy antics makes you really realize just how insane he is. Pick this one up if you haven't already, the sequel is already on it's way.

Game of the Year:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 simply amazed me. Just how involved the game made you feel during the missions. You really felt like an asset to the team you were involved with but not so much like previous games where only you could advance and pass the invisible barrier that stopped spawning enemies. This game is loaded with action and despite what people may think I don't think the campaign was too short, if it was any longer those missions would have felt like a filler, the campaign told the story and told it well.Aside from the campaign the game returns with it's popular multiplayer mode with a higher level cap, more weapons, more attachments, a much better perk system and customizable kill streak rewards. With so much content in the multiplayer there are definitely people that are going to prestige and keep on going through the ranks.

Spec Ops mode definitely does not disappoint with fast paced action that you and your friends can enjoy aside from multiplayer. I'm still obsessing over getting those stars and trying to manage my time between this and multiplayer but I'll get them all one day.

I may receive some hate mail for choosing Call of Duty as Game of 2009 but I truly enjoyed this game for it's unique cinematic experience and great multiplayer modes. I really don't understand some of the hate floating around the internet about this game, maybe some people really over-hyped it expecting random impossible things that weren't included but nevertheless I'm a huge fan of this game.

Earlier in the week the demo for Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker was released on the Playstation Network for the PSP and if you were excited about it as much as I was you probably have already downloaded it as well.

The demo included a tutorial mission and three other mission oriented missions involving infiltrating a base in Costa Rica and ultimately ending with a Tank boss fight. Before each mission you can select which "suit" you will use each with different loadouts; Battle Dress Snake is obviously more for straight up fighting and good defense but with the cost of almost zero camouflage rating and no silenced weapons. Sneaking Suit Snake is better for sneaking and using camouflage but your weapons are limited but you do get a cool bullet proof shield. Jungle Fatigues Snake is balanced for both camo and weapons and also comes equipped with a sniper rifle. Finally, Naked Snake is outfitted with explosive weapons and a M60 machine gun and isquicker on his feet, think of Naked Snake as a Rambo type character.

From there you can configure your controls to your likeness mainly deciding whether camera options will be controlled with the triangle, circle, x, square or the directional pad. The controls for Peace Walker are very well done and easy to learn making for a very enjoyable experience. I was intimidated from the start thinking with complex Metal Gear Solid controls from past titles that this PSP title would have a difficult time making the switch but it was done very well. The CQC (close quarter combat) system is equally very easy to use with the flick of the analog stick in the direction and a tap with the R button will have you taking down your enemies like a true hero, if enemies are nearby you can tap R again at the right time and Snake will immediately switch targets and CQC that enemy as well working very fluently.

If you've been tracking this game you know that the big news about this title is the multiplayer cooperative mode. Being able to sneak and fight in the same area with another player (up to 4) is one of the best features to be included in the game. Being close to each other allows you to share ammo and move as one unit called "Snaking," when one player holds on to the front player and is able to move with them. Each mission also has alternate routes that can be taken if a cooperative player is with you allowing for different strategies with your cooperative player.

I am so excited for the full release of this game now after playing this demo. With the ability to choose different suits before each mission all with different items and weapons makes each playthrough a unique experience and it's definitely worth a playthrough or two with a cooperative buddy. If you haven't already, go download the demo!

Recently on Steam two great indie games were released; Machinarium and Eufloria and I decided to give them a shot since they were both spoken of highly at the Independent Games Festival and at the PAX expo.

First off, I can easy tell why this game was awarded "Excellence in Visual Arts," it is a very unique looking game, everything looks hand drawn, the animations flow smoothly and it all comes together in a nice, fresh experience. The game stars a robot's struggle to rescue his robot girlfriend from a couple of robot bullies (robots galore!). One interesting fact about this game is that it contains no dialogue. The story is told through hand drawn hilarious cartoons which are very entertaining and doesn't take away from the gameplay.

Machinarium is a point-and-click adventure with puzzle elements; solving puzzles in each level advances the story getting you closer to your beloved robot girlfriend. The puzzles are cleverly hidden in each level but if the player is stumped one hint is provided each level as how to complete the level but if puzzles in-between are too difficult to solve you can unlock a "hint book" of sorts but to unlock it you first play a side scrolling shooter as a key fighting your way through a maze of spiders to get to the lock and unlock the book. The book provides step-by-step help on the puzzles related to the level which is nice so you're not stumped hours on end on one level and also so the casual gamers don't give up hope on the game (I'll admit...I had to unlock that book a couple times).

Machinarium is a genius puzzle game that's worth playing just to take in the great visuals and animations and is very unique to the point and click adventure genre.

The other indie game I was quite intrigued by was a strategy game, "Eufloria."

Eufloria is another great title I can preach about the great visuals. It's almost like you're looking under a microscope commanding organisms and taking controls of cells but in fact these circles are asteroids and you control seedlings that grow trees to grow stronger and abundant to rid the galaxy of "bad seedlings," the "grey's."

It's a basic strategy game. You have your trees that give you more seedling units and you have your defense trees that shoot back at enemy seedlings trying to overrun your asteroid. Each asteroid has certain attributes that attune your seedlings; power, speed and energy. Energy toned seedlings can capture asteroids faster, power seedlings are good for taking out defense trees and speed seedlings move fast. Flowers can be grown to upgrade grown trees on asteroids too. Flowers attached to seedling trees give your seedlings more health while flowers grown on a defense tree grow attack flowers that are like mini Death Stars; great at attacking other seedlings or best left orbiting a friendly asteroid for defense.

Eufloria might not be as in-depth as your Warcrafts or Starcrafts but it's still a very enjoyable game and is casual enough to be enjoyed by anyone which I think is the main aim of the game or the main aim of any indie game in fact.

If you have some spare dollars laying around and you want something to tide you over before Call of Duty or Dragon Age comes out then I suggest looking at these two indie titles, their unique design and gameplay won me over and maybe they will win you over too.

Lucidity is a new non-Star Wars game from Lucas Arts starring a little girl named Sofi with a deep imagination. Sofi dreams up worlds full of exploration and danger as she travels through these platform levels collecting fireflies and receiving postcards from her grandma. As Sofi travels through each level your job is to keep her safe and help her collect as many fireflies as she can until the end of the level. I was interested in this game so I decided to give it a shot and I found it to be quite enjoyable thus far.

Keeping Sofi safe from bugs or spike pits is easy at the start but as the game progresses you have to be on your "A" game to make it through the level. To help keep Sofi safe you are given pieces to place on the level such as a wood plank to make it over gaps or spring shoes for a big jump in the air. More pieces are unlocked later in the game such as a small staircase, slingshot or a fan all of which appear randomly leaving it up to the player to place them strategically to keep Sofi safe.

The problem I've encountered so far is placing these pieces, I'm playing it on the PC so I'm using a mouse but placing these pieces is sort of on a grid so precision can feel off and awkward at times. The game is fun though so far and is quite challenging collecting fireflies on the map and the game also boasts good replay value trying to collect every firefly per level, collecting a certain amount unlocks other levels to play aside from the storyline levels. The art s.tyle for the game is stunning and the background visuals in the level are beautiful.

It's an enjoyable game for pick up and play and it's great for only $9.99 and another plus is it's good to see Lucas Arts trying something new other than Star Wars and doing a great job at it.

AND

Coincidence!? I think not, Brett Favre and Sam Fisher are the same person. Now we all know what Favre REALLY does in the off season.

We've all seen the commercials when a new console is being released; this overly excited familly that gathers around the television and plays altogether at once right? Well I'm guessing 9/10 homes aren't actually like this and being as skeptical as I was I never really thought that the Wii was such a "family" console for everyone because my family still seemed intimidated by it. My skepticism would soon end when I brought the Wii out again when I was home with Wii Sports Resort in hand. My grandma would occasionally watch my brother and I duel to the death with swords, bike around the resort island, brush up on our archery and be terrible at bowling when finally this bowling game struck some attention and my grandma decided to give it a shot. She was amazed how you had to press almost no buttons, just releasing B to release the ball down towards the pins, she was hooked. Soon the whole family joined in and I witnessed what was going on in these commercials, the Wii actually is a family console and really can be enjoyed by anyone. My brother and I then proceeded to get beaten at bowling by our grandma, that wasn't too nice. Canoeing was also a big hit amongst the family and taught my family they may very well be the worst at teamwork when it comes to paddling but it was quite amusing. Swordplay was an obvious choice amongst couples as they struggled to stay on the small platform, trying not to get sent to the drink down below. They played almost every game at least once and was amazed at how little buttons had to be pressed or even how some games didn't require buttons at all, just the motion. My skepticism for the "family console" has been crushed when I witnessed everyone enjoying the Wii whether you have a lot of gaming experience or none, everyone had a chance to do good at something and it seemed pretty evenly match, just what the Wii aimed to do. The Wii can be for the casual and hardcore and especially for any family that isn't used to playing video games. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to practice my spin at the bowling alley.