Been a while since I've dragged myself through the toil and drudgery of posting a blog (just kidding, I occasionally enjoy doing this), but I have things to go on about.

First off, I recently read the online novel cult hit "John Dies at the End," and I feel compelled to rant. Simply put, this book is awesome. Author David Wong's style is reminiscent of Stephen King's matter-of-fact style and demented imagery, as well as Douglas Adams's sarcastic, dry sense of humor, and the two characteristics combine into a great package.

The book itself follows the author surrogate David, and his exploits as a sort of paranormal investigator. He and his friend John were exposed to a strange chemical that gives them enhanced senses and allows them to see and hear things that no one else can. The two are shortly thereafter drawn into the plot of a being from another plane to dominate the world. It sounds fairly standard, but believe me, the novel is filled with a lot of great twists and several that are downright disturbing. Anyone fond of paranormal/mystery or science fiction and horror should definitely check this one out. The best part? It's free to read online at: www.johndiesattheend.com

What do you want for nothing?

I've been playing Grand Theft Auto IV lately, and I've actually so far been sort of underwhelmed with it. It's a good game, don't take me wrong, but it's been hitting some off-notes with me.

First off, I'd like to address the driving; this was one of the things I loved most about previous entries in the series, and I would steal a car just to drive it all over and crash it to watch it explode. This was, to put it mildly, a heck of a lot of fun for me. Especially in San Andreas, where there was a lot more to do, and more to see. A lack of space doesn't detract from the experience quite as much as I make it sound, and considering IV is the second largest of the games, it's actually not so bad. The inherent problem is that the driving has now seemingly become needlessly complex. Use of the handbrake is fine, considering I used the brakes quite a bit in San Andreas anyway, but it seems like it's become a crutch now for virtually any driving situation. Not all cars can stop on a dime, to be sure, but the braking with some of these vehicles is very sluggish. One thing I do like a bit more about the driving now is that steering has been noticeably improved; vehicles are more responsive now, and once you're used to it, there's a lot less swerving going on than in previous games. I also like that escaping from cops has been made a little more technical, with the addition of a radar indicator to point out positions of cops and patrol cars. Before, it seemed a bit more about luck than anything.

It's a good game, though. The combat has been mostly improved, despite that hand-to-hand fighting seems to have gotten dumbed down from San Andreas. Shooting is much better now, although the cover system has its slip-ups. Hanging around with people and going on dates is better than in San Andreas, with the addition of scenes between Niko and the women you take out, as well as some fun little side games like billiards to mix things up.

I picked up Metroid Prime a few months back and only recently had the courage to play it. I was pleasantly surprised with the controls and how well they work, especially considering I was concerned about how a FPS would work without dual-sticks. The action is great, and the fighting is pretty intense; the bosses are mostly pretty challenging (with only the later ones inducing any real frustration). I like the save station deal, but it seems like Prime could also stand to have a checkpoint here and there for when you're first going through a tough area. Usually, you're okay, but in some of the later parts, you can run into a spot of trouble here and there.

Graphically, Metroid Prime looks great even by today's standards. Apart from a few minor blemishes in texturing and a couple jagged edges here and there, it's a really nice-looking game with a lot of cool effects and filters.

(Gee, guess what two games I'll be reviewing sometime.)

I turned 20 about a week ago and am now living on campus at KSU in Ohio. My major is journalism and I plan on eventually rocking some face once I get into the industry by writing reviews for games, hopefully doing interviews and coverage on events like E3 and TGS. I've got a lot of work ahead of me, and I'll need to get some experience under my belt, but it'll be a great experience once I get going.