Nine years later, I still think it was a big mistake that GS got rid of the whole union system. They did convert a few of the union boards into regular boards (such as the Social Cafe Union), but it just hasn't been the same. Granted, the unions would likely be dead now anyway like most of the rest of the site now, even if they hadn't gotten rid of them, but the death of them was just too quick. By the time some of the union boards were converted into regular boards, it was already too little, too late.

I joined in July 2004 (actually 18 years ago today), and I remember the introduction of unions in March 2005. Prior to the introduction of unions, almost all of my posts on GS were in the shared game boards with GameFAQs (remember those?). Then once the unions came into place, my activity on GS really took off. They really made GS stand out from other gaming sites.

I'm just feeling a bit nostalgic now and wanted to ramble on about this. I'm still around on this site occasionally, but things just aren't the same anymore. Coincidentally, I also just remembered its my 18th anniversary on this site as I was writing the blog. Just two more years and I would have joined here 20 years ago. Where have the years gone?

Oh wow, this is my first blog post in over 7 years! How is that?

Anyway, yes, I'm still around. But I post in the forums very rarely these days. Things just aren't the same anymore. They haven't been the same ever since this version of the site that came out in late 2013. To make matters worse, the people responsible for these changes seems to have abandoned us. I have no idea who is even in charge of this site anymore. I really miss the unions too. They were the best things about the forums, and really made this site stand out from the other gaming sites.

Gaming-wise, a lot has changed since my last blog in 2014. Let's look at the consoles I've got since then. I got a PS4 in 2015, a Switch in 2017, and a PS5 in 2020. I got my Switch at launch, and my PS5 a little over a month after it came out. With the PS5s still hard to find, I was lucky to get one so early. Since PS5 can play PS4 games, I no longer really play my PS4. Though, I still want to keep it as a collector's item. I also just got the online expansion for my Switch. It is overpriced, yes, I really want to play some of the Nintendo 64 games on it.

I don't know how many of you that are following me are still even on this site. I don't imagine very many of you guys are.

Also, Merry Christmas everyone!

Yesterday was my Birthday, so I'm a little late in posting this. Anyway, I'm 27 now. Although, I still feel like I'm in my late teens. Also, in case you haven't seen my previous blog. I mentioned that I haven't been around the site as much since the big change happened last year, but as of lately, I've been around a little more. I also brought up the fact that I've been here for 10 years now.

Today is my 10th anniversary here. It's hard to believe that I joined GameSpot 10 years ago today.

This is also my first blog on the new site and my first blog in almost a year, my longest gap between blogs so far. I hope things pick up around here sometime. For example, look at how dead the unions are now. Seeing some kind of revival for them would be nice. As a result, my posting activity has decreased a lot since the new site has been up. I still don't see myself completely leaving the site soon though. I'll probably still stick around some here and there.

It's my 26th Birthday today. I got a nice cake that I'm soon going to eat. I also ordered a Wii U a few days ago and got a good deal on it. I got it bundled with the game New Super Mario Bros. U and another controller for only $20 extra. It should be here on the 14th, 15th or 16th. I can't wait for it to arrive.

Just yesterday, I had joined GS nine years ago. Hard to believe it's been close to ten years now. It's showing that I'm 100% through Level 64 on the forums, which means I should truly be on Level 65 any day now.

As for gaming, I'm really hoping I'll get a Wii U soon enough, as there's already a few games I want for it and they'll be more coming out later this year and next year. I'm hoping for at least next month. But then there's also games like Saints Row IV and Grand Theft Auto V coming out, which I want as well. Quite a few games to buy.

With this blog, I have made 30000 posts. Kind of amazing, considering I just reached 20000 last year. But it is thanks to certain unions I have gotten this far.

Happy New Year everyone. 2012 went by so quick. The fastest year for me as of yet. But 2012 was a bit of a change for me in some ways, as I have moved into a new house after living in the old one for 20 years. It was also when I became more active here on GS.

Wow, another level percentage boost. This time, I was from 96% on Level 63 to 18% on Level 64, so that's a boost by 22%. I'm glad I'm finally out of Level 63 and that I got three boosts while in that level. I got the first one earlier on when a lot of other users were getting boosts.

I have just gotten another level percentage boost. I jumped from 87% to 96% (although it says 95% in my profile). Now I'm finally almost out of Level 63 with just 4% away.

I don't often blog about what games I have recently gotten, but I got a few really good deals on Black Friday. I got God of War Saga from Walmart for only $15. It includes all five of the currently released games from the God of War series. I only had one of the games before this. Just one of the games alone normally costs more than that too. Then from Amazon, I ordered Dead or Alive 5, which costed $30 and Saints Row: The Third The Full Package (which is Saints Row: The Third with all the DLC bundled with it), which costed $25.

I have also been working on another review recenly and should be submitting it soon. It's for the game Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II. I can't believe it's been almost a full year since my last review. It's also been over three months since my last blog.