NO SPOILERS HERE, START READING.

-Feb.14 : Write blog on Gamespot stating that I will be absent from the internet until I beat Metal Gear Rising: Revengence. I did this to avoid spoilers and even review scores.
-Feb.15-18 : I catch a virus and get sick.
-Feb 19 : Beginning to feel better, I ready myself to get Metal Gear Rising. I take a trip to my local Gamestop, and pick up Metal Gear Rising, the newest entry in my favorite video game series.
-Feb 20-25 : Play one of the best hack and slash games of my life.
---Metal Gear Rising is an insane departure from the stealthy Metal Gear Solid series, as this game is an incredibly fast paced action game. Staring one of my all time favourite video game characters, the game features Raiden's 'adventures' after Metal Gear Solid 4. I won't spoil the plot, because like other Metal Gear titles, this game's plot is pretty great. The plot is told in a much more straight up style than the Solid series, however. I guess I'll just skip talking about the plot, but just know it's great, with a heartwreching moment or two thrown in. The gameplay? It's one of the most flawless combat systems I've ever played. Here's the basics, you press triangle for strong attacks, and square for light attacks. During combat, when an foe's eyes glows red for second, that lets you know he's about to attack. If you press the analog stick in the direction of your opponent and press the square button at the same time, you will block his attack, it takes a little while to get used to, but once you do get accustomed to it, it feels great and makes the game's combat all the smoother. However, there is one small flaw in the game, it's a bit short.
---You know what I liked in Dark Souls? You didn't have much life, you were always close to death. You had to always keep your guard up. In the beginning of Metal Gear Rising, you don't have too much health. To recover your heath, you must weaken an enemy in battle, and when he is close to death press L1 and you will enter Blade Mode. Cut your enemy clean in half, and press O, and you will grab his blue worm inside of him and fully heal yourself. It's incredibly fun and incredibly slick. The game's bosses are glorious, creative, and worthy of the Metal Gear name. I won't tell you why, but there are some great bad guys introduced in this game. As for the music? The soundtrack for MGR is very different than Metal Gear Solid's slow and emotional music. Explosive rock and roll style music is the staple of this game. Here's a sample from early in the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In0v46Z6xbQ
---So let us review, a well-told story, gameplay that is the new benchmark for action titles, glorious boss fights, and a great soundtrack, the only setback being that the game isn't too long.

9.5/10

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

I wonder what score Gamespot gave this game? I'll go check.

Another Metal Gear game is upon us. It's been a long time since we've played a new console Metal Gear title, the last being Metal Gear Solid 4, one of my favourite games of all time. After Metal Gear Solid 4 released, Hideo Kojima was going to let some of the younger Kojima Productions employees make their own Metal Gear Solid title. Those younger developers were going to make a Metal Gear title in which you could play as The Boss and the Cobra Unit during the battle of Normandy. However, this proved to be too big of a challenge for them, so they decided to make a game in which you could play as Raiden during the events between Metal Gear Solid 2 and MGS4. Even this proved too much for the team to handle. All hope seemed lost, until Hideo Kojima asked Platinum Games to take over creation of this title. To give Platinum Games more room for creative freedom, Metal Gear Rising would take place after Metal Gear Solid 4. Instead of Kojima Production's slower paced action, this game would feature a much more fast paced action style. Now, this title is set for release on February 19th, just a few days away.

Why should you buy this game? Well, for starters, a Kojima Productions writer is helping Platinum Games with the story, so the narrative should be great. Platinum Games seems to have no issues making great action games, so this game's pedigree should be quite high. On a more personal note, Raiden is just an awesome character. I liked him in MGS2, and I'm glad he'll be on televisions all across America all over again.

Also, I will be leaving the internet and Gamespot right after I write this blog. I don't want to read any reviews, or receive any kinds of spoilers. I will come back after I beat Metal Gear Rising: Revengence. I'm obsessed with Metal Gear like that! However, due to an unfortunate series of events, I will have to run, not walk, three miles in order to get to my local game store. I'll earn my copy of the game!

See you guys on the other side! For Raiden!!!!!!!!

Google :'The Truth Behind Metal Gear Rising' if you want to know more about the game, it'a a video.

- It's that magical time of month, where I rant and rave about how great Metal Gear Solid is. I just got through replaying MGS2 for the 12th time, and the ending was just as though-provokingly confusing as ever and Metal Gear Solid 2 is still one of the most genius and disliked games ever made. The story makes one of the biggest plot twists in gaming, and a final 15 minute codec call becomes one of the most profound moments of confusing scripts in gaming hostory. In this codec call, a Patriot AI, GW, explains the Patriots plan to Raiden. After listening to this codec call yet again, I decided to take out some lines, and atempt to interpret what was really being said, juxtapositions aside.

-For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, I'll explain in a nutshell. The USA is run by a secret organization, called the Patriots. They control everything in the US, from who becomes President, to what laws are passed. With the increasing popularity of the internet, they see more and more junk data being stored up, slowing human evoution. '''All this junk data preserved in an unfiltered state, growing at an alarming rate. It will only slow down social progress, reduce the rate of evolution.''' So the Patritos plan to censor everything on the internet, tailor information to suit them, etc.

AI: Raiden, you seem to think that our plan is one of censorship.
Raiden: Are you telling me it's not!?
AI: You're being silly! What we propose to do is not to control content, but to create context.
Raiden: Create context?
AI: The digital society furthers human flaws and selectively rewards development of convenient half-truths. Just look at the strange juxtapositions of morality around you. Billions spent on new weapons in order to humanely murder other
humans. Rights of criminals are given more respect than the privacy of their victims.

- Oh, Hideo Kojima. The more you read what Kojima has written, the more one would think that he has an incredibly strong sense of justice. ''Rights of criminals are given more respect than the privacy of their victims.'' Definitely reflects modern day society. Once I was watching the news a few years ago and they were covering a murder story. Apparently, someone, armed with a knife, had broken in to someone's house. The owner of the house shot and killed the robber, however, because the thief had a knife and the victim had a gun, they said that the victim had used 'unnecessary force' and they had him on trial. Or when someone kills someone else, and the killer is crying his eyes out on trial and the weak kneed judge gives him a reduced sentence saying 'He has learned his lesson.' What about the dead person, he can't defend himself in court?

AI: Although there are people suffering in poverty, huge donations are made to protect endangered species.

- This one is just great, because it's 100% true. I once heard of a company wanting to build a huge row of houses in this certain area, bringing in money and business, but they couldn't because the spotted owl lived nearby, and who would want to interfere with it's habitat?

AI: "You're special." "Believe in yourself and you will succeed." But it's obvious from the start that only a few can succeed... You exercise your right to "freedom" and this is the result. All rhetoric to avoid conflict and protect each other from hurt.

- Well, to a point, this is true. Sadly. someone born without a leg in a slum simply won't have the same chance in life as a rich, fully healthly person.

- On another note, this game repeatedly hints at (via VR) that these war simulators aren't the best way to spend your time, to the point of saying,

Raiden : There's pain sensation in VR, and even a sense of reality and
urgency. The only difference is that it isn't actually happening.

Pliskin : That's the way they want you to think, to remove you from the
fear that goes with battle situations. War as a video game --
what better way to raise the ultimate soldier?

- Both in this game and MGS4, the games seems to criticize people who play these very games, saying that war games desensitize you and are 'ways to train soldiers'. Here is a quote from Metal Gear Solid 4....last quote! I promise!

Big Mama: Nowadays, anyone with a computer can get
combat training. The FPS games these children love are
distributed for free by these companies. Of course, it's all
just virtual training. It's so easy for them to get absorbed
by these war games. And before they know it, they're in the
PMCs holding real guns. These kids end up fighting in proxy
wars that have nothing to do with their own lives. They
think it's cool to fight like this. They think that combat
is life. They don't need a reason to fight. After all, for
them it's only a game.

- Alright, I'll wrap this blog up. I doubt any of you actually read it, because Metal Gear Solid is the most complex series ever, but for those of you who did, tell me your thoughts.

-I'd say it's high time to blog about a lighter subject, this time around. :P

-Picked up three games to tide me over until Metal Gear Rising. Sony Smash Bros-er- Battle Royale, Tekken Tag Tournament, and the japanese Skyrim, Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny.

- Much like Smash Bros, this game is a love letter to to longtime fans. All your favourite characters, stages, and er, items are here to pound each other to bits. This game is very similar to the original Smash Bros 64. Both games felt rushed, had a small amount of characters, poor single player modes, etc. I also have a bit of a beef with the game's stages. For example, when you choose the Hades stage, from God of War 3, in around 45 seconds the stage will be attacked by another stage. Here's the kicker, one stage WILL ALWAYS be invaded by ONE other stage. Meaning Hades will always get beaten up by stupid little cartoon characters. It gets old, fast. Another small issue I have is that the ONLY way you can knock someone out is by filling up your super meter, then activating your super attack. If you miss, you have to fill it up all over again. That can get a little tedious. However, this game is still very fun, and even though at times it can feel like a low-budget fighter, it's still a must-play for diehard Sony fans, like me.

-Kratos and Raiden FTW!!!!!!

-I also got Tekken Tag Funky Time, I think Naju said it was his favourite fighting game of 2012. I haven't started it though, so I don't know what to think of it yet!

- And lastly, I picked up the japanese Skyrim, Rune Factory, blah blah. You run around, talk to people in town, kill things, cook, fish, it's very similar to Skyrim in that way. People have a fixed schedule so they seem more life-like. Different events happen different days, whether it be a contest, or simply a sale going on at your favourite store.

That's about it, I think. Make sure you route for the Ravens come sunday!!!!!!!!

''Man, you're okay. Most of my friends on GameSpot (that blog) usually speak about their selves so I generally have an idea as to what's going on in their lives. You don't blog much about yourself and even when you do, you're mostly cryptic about things. I've only caught glimpses of the real you when you posted in my, "How I became a Gamer" blog and I could relate. Maybe you think the internet is no place to share info about yourself? I agree, but only if its related to personal details like passwords, credit card numbers, phone numbers etc. I feel that by talking about yourself you can get others to understand you and help you. There were numerous times I would be depressed about life and blog about it. Reading the encouraging comments always helped me feel better. I feel right at home with some of the folks here on GameSpot. Sure, we may not agree on a lot things but we're still friends.''

- That was a comment from fendoblivion, a buddy of mine on Gamespot. For years I kicked around the idea of talking about my personal life on my Gamespot blogs, I but I always came back to the same conclusion that prevented me from ever talking about it much. However, after all these years, I suppose it's time to take the skeletons out of the closet. The reason is that,

I don't want people to think I'm complaining.

- As some of you know, I didn't have the best childhood, the only ray of light coming from video games. It was filled with emotional and physical abuse. As years passed my hatred for life in general grew deeper and deeper as my innocence faded more and more until I became a burning sphere of aimless hate, having insane bursts of rage. However, as the years passed, and situations changed, I've since mellowed out to a much more gentle person, and looking back, it seemed like that phase of my life was just a bad dream. Since then, life has gotten better, even though its still a bit tough. So, the reason I haven't blogged about myself much is that I don't want people to think, 'Oh, here comes SoS blogging again, whining like always', or some such. I also don't want anyone's pity, I don't want my blogs to become a pity party. I didn't want people to always feel obligated to say, 'Oh poor SoS, we feel bad for you', etc. Those reasons are why I was so tight lipped about my life and my past.

Ah. That felt kinda good to get off my chest. I sympathize with this guy even more now. ---->

- I've known this for a long time. I'm not liked. When I first joined Gamespot back in the day, most folks didn't really like me. Who could blame them? I'd never really used a 'forum' much, so I just did what I always did. I spoke in a very blunt manner and freely spoke my mind. When I thought a certain game sucked, I said so. When I said I thought modern Sonic games sucked ina certain Sonic Union, I was quickly kicked out. When I said a didn't like a certain member of a now abandoned Nintendo Union, I was kicked out pretty quickly. When someone is going out of their way too insult me, I certainly pose a counter argument, only to have this said to me, 'Since he has been a member longer than you, we're going to have to ask you to leave to keep the peace.' Even though I didn't provoke him in any way.

- After all these years, I still have falling outs with Unions, and even friends. Seems like I still haven't learned to become like everyone else and keep my head low. I still stay just as outspoken as I've always been, to the point of some people labeling me 'agressive' . While I may get overly passionate over some games/subjects, I don't think I'd ever label myself that. I know that sometimes I may read too much into a situation and speak too freely. Seems like I'm a rare breed as well, I haven't really meet anyone on this site with a similar disposition.

- So now, I ask you what you think of me. Remember, just be blunt, and speak freely. No one here is judging.

-Picked up a bunch of new games to keep me gaming until until the latest Metal Gear title comes out. I do hope Platinum games does not sully the great Metal Gear name. Persona 4 Arena, Tekken 6, Okami, and Brink. The only games I've started have been Okami (Wii), and Persona 4 Arena (PS3).Okami is awful. It's an overly simple and bland game. The story is quite dull, the combat is ridiculously simple, and it's just mediocre. I've heard people say this is one of the best 'overlooked' games, but I'd say they are pretty wrong.

-On the other hand, Persona 4 Arena, is pretty great. I don't know very much about this 'Persona' series, but from what I know, this game is a spinoff of the main series. It's a pretty and fast paced fighting game that certainly has it's fair share of super complex moves to learn. I have not tried the story mode yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

- In other news, my RPG is now in full development. Once it's fully finished, (which may be a while), I'll figure out how to give everyone a copy to download off their computer. It'll be free, obviously. Also, THE RAVENS WON! ALL OF BALTIMORE IS IN A UPROAR! It's great, the Ravens are finally back in!

- Around this time last year, my home football team was in it's championship game, the game that would decide who would get the the Super Bowl. My two favourite teams were playing, the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots. Tom Brady, quarterback of the Patriots, has been to the Super Bowl many times before, while the Ravens have not been to the Super Bowl in over ten years. Knowing this, I was sort of rooting for the Ravens to win. I really wanted my home team to go the whole way. After a long and intense game, it all came down to a field goal. If the Ravens' kicker made this short kick, the Ravens would win.

He missed it.

- I'm used to the dejection you feel after a team you love loses when it's so close. A few years before, the Patriots had gotten to the Super Bowl only to lose to the Giants. Last year, the year the Patriots beat the Ravens, they lost to the Giants yet again.

- This year, the Ravens have gotten to the playoffs yet again, taking another shot at greatness. However, a few days before the Ravens' first playoff would occur.. Ray Lewis, spiritual leader of the Ravens, announced he would retire after the playoffs, this season being his 'last ride'.

- Knowing this, the Ravens went into M&T Bank stadium, emotionally super charged. That day, the Ravens defense held the Colts' offense to not score a single touchdown, in a resounding win. However, the next game would not be so easy. Peyton (spelling?) Manning and the Denver Broncos nearly won against the Ravens. With only a few seconds left, and trailing a full touchdown, Raven's quarterback Joe Flacco threw an absolute bomb to a wide open receiver, throwing the game into overtime, in which the Ravens' needed another field goal to win the game. Calling on the same kicker who missed last year's clutch field goal, Tucker, the Ravens held their breath in anticipation.

He made it.

- The Ravens are now set to play the mighty Patriots in the Championship game, the game that decides who goes to the Super Bowl, and who goes home. Maybe before you go to sleep tonight, you'll look up at the night sky, and say, 'I hope the Ravens become Super Bowl Champions.'

....I take my football very seriously.

- Yup, I'm finally going to college soon, in roughly five months. Finishing up high school as of right now and I'll go start there once I wrap up my last year. I'll be majoring in video game design, and the like. Aiming to be a game developer, you see. It doesn't look easy, but I wouldn't settle for anything else. My do-to list will consist of:

1. Fix Sonic the Hedgehog

2. Work on Metal Gear Solid 7 with Kojima Productions

3. Work with Nintendo on the latest Zelda

- Hmm.. Now that I read that list, it looks like I'll be job hopping a lot. :/ Maybe I'll just stick with one company. But for now, I'll just focus on college. My gaming time will be cut down by a lot, but I think I've already played nearly every game I've wanted from this generation. This year, the only games I'm super looking forward to are God of War Ascension, Metal Gear Revengence, and certainly NOT Pokemon X and Y. I mean, the game looks like a super-fun reboot, but ehhhhh.

- I don't think I've officially given out my 2012 Game of the Year yet. I said I would most likely pick Lego Lord of the Rings, but I think I'll pick a different game.

My Game of the Year for 2012 goes to Dishonored. As I've said before, this year was pretty slow for me, not a lot of games came out that I thought were GOTY material. However, this game is pretty darn fantastic. This game stands out from all other games for a couple of reasons.

1. Yes, it's a new IP.

2. Its setting is in a steampunk style world. For example, the game fuses old world style weapons, likes swords, with new futuristic weapons of war, like walls of light energy.

3. You can play the game as a savage killer, or the nice little steath master. And yes, you can fully beat the game with killing a single person. How you play the game will decide how the plot unfolds, as well. If you play the game like a butcher, the world will be more hostile, darker, and the characters will interact with you differently.

4. The plot is fantastic, even though it starts pretty slowly.

- That's why Dishonored is my Game of the Year.

- I'm getting a new computer soon, however, I actually don't know all the super technical terms needed to pick the perfect computer for me. I'm talking about an actual computer, not a laptop. So I'll list some main points I'd like, and I'll let you savvy folks fire away. I already have a great pair of speakers and a HD monitor, so keep that in mind too.

- Of course, fast speeds,

- Ability to play modern PC games, (perhaps without it rocketing up the price?)

- A good bit of memory.

- And a printer.

- Since this blog seems pretty short as of right now, I feel like I should add something extra.

Something extra.