A great deal of success has found me, as my clinical trials for phlebotomy yield nothing but the finest fruits. Out of 19 draws, I've gotten 23 of them, which is good for beginners, and I've been offered a job in the first three days. Bully. Regardless, my gaming life will not go quietly into the night.
I purchased an HDTV, a 27 inch Westinghouse 720p tv, and compared to my previous tv, a 24 inch ye olde generic, this one looks amazing. For whatever reason, all of my old games are new on this television, which prompted me to go back through graw, gears, pgr, and download the demos for games I was looking forward to. Vegas still isn't fun though, screw that crap.
Lost Planet is a pretty dissapointing game, with lackluster controls and a plot that would make you chew your own foot off. The multiplayer is decent, and the grappling hook definitely makes things amusing, but the high point here is aesthetic. This game looks like 1 million dollars. Great animations, a variety of interesting enemies to shoot, pretty lighting, and so forth. It feels like the graphics were the unifying theme for the game, because it sure as hell isn't the action.
I found a real gem of a game randomley, and have been enjoying it for a while. It's called Armada Online and features a number of nifty features. It's an alpha right now, so the edges are very, how do you say it ah yes, rough, but it's a gem if you take the time to learn. Don't miss this. Don't miss this. Don't miss this. My name is Drugs in game, so give me a shout. That's Drugs with a capital dee.
I've been considering selling my PSP for a while now, only to hesitate at the release of MGS PO, but now the dreams of releasing my unit into the gaming abode have resumed at the realization that what I really wanted, the PS download service, I will never have. A pity too, I was really looking forward to the same four games everybody else was. I'll think on the situation some more, and if it comes to pass then so be it, Dead Rising for me. Personally I would rather sell it to somebody I knew at a lesser price, so if you are looking, give me a shout and we can negotiate.
Finally, I'd like to apologize to everybody whose blog I haven't frequented in a while. With my time becoming increasingly scarce now that big boy things have taken over, it's become more of a chore than a treasure reading about your lives, but I still give a hoot. May extra lives bless you and your family.

There was a great deal of activity in the world this week, so naturally the only way to deliver the impartial unbiased account is blog it. Naturally. Either way, now that I've spent some serious time with my 360 I have a number of observations to deliver in standard gamer prose.
From my point of view, the Xbox 360 is having a wonderful time due to the superb catalogue of games. Right now I own PGR3, Kameo, Gears of War, Ghost Recon, and Viva Pinata. I only play PGR, Gears and Ghost, but I'm enjoying the hell out of them. I've played multiplayer with most of my friends, and been thouroughly wooped by you all, and I can honestly say that without friends, playing online is for chumps. There are more matches I have quit than I have played because people were being chumptards. Friends ftw.
On a personal note, Ghost Recon has the worst AI in a single player game since, well, forever. There have been instances where I order my guys into a bunker to clear it out, they report it's clear, I run in, and notice my teammates trying to run through a wall on the left, and two soldiers waiting for me on the right. Go figure. Don't play single player.
I downloaded Doom, Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting, and Assault Heroes off of the Xbox Live Arcade Market Place last night, and I enjoy those titles, but they would be a lot better if 1. there were more people playing them and 2. the people playing them weren't jerks. I tried to play coop in doom only to get tked a billion times. Apparently the shotgun is a mystical device whose sole purpose is to ruin my world. Ammo isn't that plentiful. Either way, great idea, needs more people.
The live service allows you to download demos for upcoming games, like lost planet and so forth, but there really aren't that many demos for upcoming games. It's still a bit early in the running, but a wider selection of titles here would have been really nice so we can compare and contrast differences from multiplatform games.
There are movie download services, but those are also pretty dissapointing because of selection and the licensing agreement. Where the 360 shines however is that you can stream media from your computer to your 360 to play on your tv, which is neat, but requires you to have wmv formatted files. Irritating to no end, but doable to say the least. Mystery Science Theatre has found a way!
If I knew how the 360 was before I purchased it, I probably still would have done it, I'm pretty pleased with the capability, and I'm enjoying the games, but if I don't get an hdtv for it I'm going to blow up.
I start some clinical trials this week so I'm working 10-12 hours, and probably won't have much time for anything other than work, so don't wait up so to speak.
President Bush announced that he was indeed going to be deploying 20,000 more troops to Iraq in an effort to stabalize the region, which is an admirable endeavour but his methods are suspect. Most of the US generals are in agreement that it would take at least 60,000 to curb the violence, and it is going to be even more difficult when our allies start pulling out next year. I predict that the US will announce a pullout as well along with them so it will look politically savy. Just me though, and I have no idea what will happen, but if I were in his position with his goals, I would probably do the same.
May extra lives bless you and all your family.

I recently reviewed a few titles like Gears of War and Geometry Wars. Neither have anything particularly inciteful, but are decently written and may or may not convince you to purchase either one if you haven't already. Also before I begin, Penny-Arcade responded to Spencer Halpin's piece on Video Game violence which I addressed in my previous blog. The results are, more or less, spot on.
Recently I recieved the latest addition of PC Gamer and read a letter sent in by a gentlemen who was concerned about the amount of console bashing in the magazine. More or less PC Gamer responded twice, once by saying that the ribbing was good natured, and a second time by asserting that console gaming was really just a poor mans step down from PC Gaming. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I was outraged, but I was mildly irritated with the statement. As I gave it more though however, I found that this may have been a more inciteful statement than was meant.
The primary advantages of the console over the PC is price, not technical supremacy or catalogue of games. Everything consoles do, PC's have done better, and it's only now that consoles are starting to catch up in terms of performance. The Xbox 360 for example offers a variety of functions such as a fully developed multimedia center, a movie and tv download service, digital distribution for arcade games and demos, and so forth. I've been impressed with what can be achieved as a stand alone unit, but it often requires a computer to stream movies off of as surfing the web and downloading isn't available. Same with music, though it is possible to listen to cds. Either way, these features are a first for a console, but native to computers.
The online service in general for consoles is starting to heat up, with xbox arcade, wii download center, and the PS3 Online Store all beginning to offer games at affordable prices for download. The PC has been doing this for over a year now, Steam being one of the first notable d2d services offering Half Life 2 to consumers digitally. It will take at least another console generation before the PC can expect any real competition.
Consoles focus more on party style multiplayer at the moment than the PC, another area where the units thrive. Games like Mario Party, Wii Sports, Fighting games, racing, and rythm games like DDR or Guitar Heroes have yet to be replicated on the PC without an emulator of some sorts, and only then they're meant for a solo player. Consoles tend to thrive in packs due to the nature of their ease of set up and play, but this caters to the casual crowd, and still doesn't achieve any significant gains.
Consoles are simple, easy, and cheap, giving them priority over computers to the computer iliterate or the casual gamer. Obviously the console can either become a serious multimedia platform and offer a variety of services to rival the PC, or the PC can try adding simplicity to cater to the casual crowd. Either way, the power of the PC still eclipses the best entries on consoles, which is sad for both parties because without both sides, you only experience half of what modern gaming has to offer.

I got a snifter of this video and suppressed outright guffaws at their attempt to dramatize what is essentially the biggest waste of time since trying to ban gay marriage. Either way, here is a dissection of this video from a gamers point of view.
Beginning: Whoever tells the stories defines the culture.
Me: Absolutely. What stories are games telling? The most popular games right on xfire right now are Call Of Duty 2 Multiplayer, World of Warcraft, Silkroad Online, Counter-Strike source, Counter-Strike 1.6, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, Battlefield 2142, Battlefield 2, Guild Wars, and Warcraft III. Three of those games have stories of substance, and only two of which propel the gameplay in any meaningful way. Simply put, stories become irrelevant in the digital age because the medium is dying out in a multiplayer dominated era of gaming. People don't give a crap about why the Nazis invaded or whom they are playing as, they want to shoot some Germans/Terrorists/Russians/Enemies in the face.
After: Violence has always been with us, it's been with us since Cain slew Able, but we've always recognized violence as a vice and not as a virtue.
Me: Then why is our foreign policy in the mideast based on violence and the threat of violence (i.e. Iraq, Iran, Syria)? Why were people who spoke out against the war in our legislature censured by their colleagues as traitors? Our culture not only embraces violence, we thrive on it, and our history before video games proves it. Ironically, he mentioned Cain and Able, an obvious reference to the Bible as a book which states violence is wrong, and yet God in the old Testament frequently condones the slaughter and murder of thousands of people. Clearly this man has not read the "Good book".
Joe Lieberman: We issued a challenge to the video game industry, we said we don't want to get into this and have the government regulate video games or force you to adopt a ratings system but if you don't do it yourself we will.
Me: Joe Lieberman has never actually approached the gaming industry with any sort of level headed proposal of this nature, but has simply denegrated the industry as a whole for a few mistakes, namely hot coffee. The ESRB has done an excellent job of rating games and informing parents of the content therein, and has recently started a massive campaign to ensure that the ratings system is understood by all.
After: We are who we pretend to be, so we must be careful who we pretend to be.
Me: Except it doesn't. Most of us are healthy individuals who accept gaming as a hobby and not a life style. The idea that THESE people who are analyzing games and viewing US as the people we play is personally repugnant, and is the perfect example of the lack of comprehension on the issue of gaming.
After: Take a step back and you realize that people sat down in front of a flight simulator and learned enough from a flight simulator to fly a jet that they had never touched before into the world trade centers what do you think happens when a 9 year old sits down and plays a first person shooter video game that rewards him for killing cops.
Me: The assertion is that Microsoft Flight Simulator was the only tool utilized in completing their objective, which isn't true, or relevant. Though they had spent a great deal of time at flight schools prior, the plane had already taken off and had reached cruising speed, meaning the only thing they had to do was adjust course direction, which means that any of us could have done it. This was documented in the 9/11 commission report, and is the first thing they teach during flight lessons. Now equating this with a child learning to kill police officers with a first person shooter is just willful stupidity on multiple counts. First, GTA doesn't train you to load, fire, or maintain a firearm, just like it doesn't teach it you jack cars, make deals with crime lords or search for hidden packages of cocaine to earn secret loot. It also doesn't doesn't reward you for killing cops, something that critics frequently get wrong. I've played the game to death, and I've never been in a situation where killing cops was a "plus".
After: There's going to be a columbine like incident to the factor of 10 down the road, then there's going to be a human cry within the halls of congress and elsewhere to ban these games all together.
Me: Apparently the critic wasn't privy to the supreme court decision that video games are protected by the constituion, namely free speech, and currently decisions that are moving to ban games or sales of games have had halted by court injunctions in the states of Louisiana and Michigan. Here's the thing though that always gets missed, because nobody ever listens;
I KNEW someone from Columbine who was acquainted with the shooters, and everybody saw an event like this coming. They were frequently bullied by the jocks and upperclassmen, and nobody ever defended them, teachers or students alike, and then everybody was shocked when they lashed out violently. Video games make a nice scapegoat, but people who were there know the truth.

I want to end with the next quote delivered by a lady who has incidentally spoken more truth and wisdom than she may have wanted;
This type of issue is, politically, a win win type of issue.
Me: I couldn't have said it better myself. This type of issue is a political win win issue, and that's why it has so much attention, not because it's logical, and not because we need it, but because it's a win win issue.
The video asserts that over half of the US population is playing video games. If that's true, game critics like those won't be able to rely on the ignorance of well intentioned people for much longer, and then we shall see this medium flourish.

Just yesterday I got my Xbox 360, and since then have slept only a few hours. I've never been so impressed with a console before, and the capabilities for this one are seemingly limitless. I already had a live account from my xbox days so I was able to take that immediately over to the 360. From the get go, I knew I wanted Geometry Wars, so I got that, downloaded the demo for Assault Heroes, which was hilarious, and played through Gears of War.
In terms of capability, I think that the 360 is more than a match for the PS3, thanks to the unified online service and the capability to download games and whatsis. I believe the PS3 has the ability to download, but the specifics aren't clear.
I was extremely impressed with Gears of War, though not blown away like most people are. The graphics are the best I've ever seen in a game, painting a dystopian future extremely well. The gameplay is fun, but not quite as mind blowing as the graphics. I expected a deeper squad system as well as a button mapped for grenades, but I was sadly dissapointed. Either way, the game is a blast, and though I already beat it, I'm going to play through again.
Currently the games I have are Gears, Viva Pinata, PGR3, and Kameo. I'm planning on picking up GRAW and Vegas at some point, as well as Enchanted Arms and Perfect Dark Zero. I'm really looking forward to Mass Effect, it looks like it may be the Baldurs Gate of the era, and even if it isn't, I'm still plenty excited.
If anybody wants to add me to their friends list, that would be neato, my tag is squidsahoy, so gimme a shout.

Happy New Years, may the gaming gods bless you with head shots and extra lives. As I look back over this year with it's number of surprises, both pleasant and not, I've come to thank the bounty that I have recieved, and have come up with a number of titles I played this year you shouldn't be without.
- Phantom Dust (xbox)
- Guitar Hero (PS2)
- Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops (PSP)
- Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception (PSP)
- Otogi 2 (xbox)
- Space Cowboys (PC)
- Freedom Fighters (PC)
I'm aware not all these came out this year, but I only discovered them as such. In addition, there are a number of titles I'm looking forward to in the coming year that I think everyone should definitely keep an eye out for. The first is Hellgate london, a title that was supposed to come out this year, but dissapointingly didn't. It's like a futuristic diablo set in london, and an actual action game taking skill to play. Whoopy!
Halo 3 should come out in 07 as well, though I wouldn't hold my breath for that (2003 was the Original release date for number 2) and though this wouldn't normally concern me, I have purchased an Xbox 360 which should arrive tomorrow. A friend at the Microsoft store got me a deal on the premium unit, 12 months of live, an extra controller, and three games for 435. And then I purchased Gears of War because if I didn't, I would be retarded. Now all I need is an HD tv....
FFXIII is a title I'm looking forward too, because the sucess of failure of this title could spell doom potentially for the PS3. With so few exclusive titles for the PS3, a square success could spell a notch on Sonys belt in the console war. Kudos.
More than any game, I'm interested to see to the Wii will do in 07. There aren't many games that look appealing, but I'm more concerned people will tire of the novelty of the controller. Personally I think it's nifty, but it doesn't grab me like it probably should. I'm in the minority obviously, I think 6 million units have been sold already (fact check).
Personally this year is going to be a lot of fun for myself, many exciting prospects on the horizon, both gaming and non alike. I wish everyone a year of self improvement and enjoyment, and party party party. W00t.

Hope you've had a happy holiday, be you Christian, Muslim, or Hebrew. I have a book coming out, I swear. I was reading back through some of the more egregious comments on the gs news and one comment by PatLTornado caught my attention by being hilariously retarded. On Nintendo being sued over defective Wii straps, Pat wrote the following;

"Everybody saw this coming,Everybody. Didn't Nintendo realize that the controller was going to be a problem, didn't they know that designing the wristband so short would be an issue? Yeah, they did. But they don't care, they're thriving on the hype over their novelty console which will soon wane down and by next year the Wii mote will be lame and useless. What I really don't understand is what made Nintendo think that this idea was going to last? Didn;t they learn from Virtual Boy? Don't they remember the lawsuits formed against them because people were having Nausea,migranes and seizures from it? I see this lawsuit as the first of many to come as more people try to get hooked on the wiimote more people will sue Nintendo because not just the wristbands are breaking people are actually breaking TVs,DVD players,stereos and wine glasses, I would be surprised if somebody actually gets hurt by the controller and the lawsuit becomes a serious problem for Nintendo. Yeah, I'll never understand fanboys, they're like neo-con Republicans, like the idiots at foxNews they will believe anything Nintendo does will work, but noveltys are like designer clothes their only successful for a short while then they get old and played out real fast, I can recall the macarena craze of '96 where 8 million people bought the CD but after a short time it got old and people stopped caring. Now I know I'm about to get slammed by fanboys so I'll scoot on out of here."
It's like a retarded kid trying to hump a doorknob. Going from predictably defective equipment to neo conservative comparisons. Foreign policy decided by Mario lovers? YOU DECIDE!

Have happy holidays, get fat fat loot, and see you around.

Things have been busy, so for those of you interested in my where abouts, I was raped by a pack of clowns. That's why this post is under religion. For those of you offended, I can offer a number of solutions pertaining to penetration of different orifii (sp). Anyway, just some things to think about. Phantasy Star Universe finally released the mother load of content, adding the elite classes, better guns, more missions, and guardian missions, meaning that the online game is as complete as the offline. As a fan, I've been enjoying it, but I wouldn't recommend this game for newcomers, there are still a number of very distinct problems, such as a pedestrian communications system based on giving your "card" to other people, repetitive fighting, no pvp, and no love for magic users. 50 dollars with 10 bucks a month is too high a price for admission, but I only have to pay 10 a month because my brother is the rich one. Ace Combat X:Skies of Deception and Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops have been eating my spare time rather handily, both of which offer solid gameplay on the PSP. I'm beginning to think though that the design of the hand held was a mistake, as the absence of a second c-stick and another set of sholder buttons really makes playing these games difficult. It's not really devestating per say, but it doesn't make the process easy. I'll write some reviews for those when I get a chance. I've actually been playing a number of boardgames recently, something I don't normally do because it involves my friends getting off their hind parts and coming over to the kitchen table. The two that really are superb and I would recommend to anybody are Doom: The Boardgame and Betrayal at House on the Hill. Doom was an unexpected pleasure, with the look and feel of the original game, which is difficult considering that it's on a board and has no rock and roll music, but it does have cachodemons and a chainsaw. Betrayal at House on the Hill is the second coming of Christ it kicks so much ass. Basically, everybody spends their time exploring a house and experiencing events, picking up items, and looking for omens. Every time an omen is revealed, roll 6 dice, and if the result is less than the number of omen cards, the haunt begins. The haunt works as a traitor instigating a scenario based on the card drawn and the location. Everybody has to try and stop the traitor from doing something, and the traitor is usually trying to kill the heroes. Last night I rolled the traitor and summoned the demons from hell to kill the heroes, and the heroes were trying to steal a ring I had to kill my demons. It was a valiant effort, but my character was stronger than superman, spiderman, the incredible hulk, and the green lantern put together, so engaging him in combat was kinda weak. This game is fun. Christmas is coming around the bend, so pick out gifts for your loved ones and put those nuts of collective chest around the open fire, but it's time to get jolly. Woo. I'm convinced it's not a Christian holiday anymore, so I partake despite being non-christian, and all of my non-christian pals should do the same.

The following are funny things that have made me rawfle high through the last few weeks. It's an assortment of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Sexual Consent (sfw)
Acid Zen Wonder Paint(all of it is funny, few are sfw)
Rolling Bomer Special(sfw)
Cats in your stuff ytmnd(nsfw)
How men screw up romance(moderately nsfw)
German Cost Guard(sfw)
Lex owns scientology(ytmnd, sfw)
Fear of Girls(nsfw)
Fart in bed(sfw)
Teacher owns students(nsfw, attention span)
Bounce(sfw)
More when I feel like it, but these make me giggle.