Well, it's just about spring break. I'm definitely excited to take a week off from school.

I've been playing ALOT of Battlefront II. I'm not sure why I've been playing it. Could it be my love of StarWars? The game's addicting gameplay? The multiplayer? I honestly don't know, but I'm hooked again.

Half-Life 2 is now on my machine again. I miss playing Sourceforts every now and then, and I really miss Insurgency.

I'm going to have to say Dawn of War: Dark Crusade is the game that's eating away my life. I've always been a fan of Warhammer 40k, and this game is paradise (in a brutal, futuristic warfare kinda way). The squad-based combat is one of it's really cool features, along with some of the "big-picture" strategic elements.

I had to create a short WWII documentary for school, so I put my Medal of Honor Pacific Assault soundtrack to work. As it was playing in front of the class, my teacher walked over to me and asked if the music was from Medal of Honor. Haha! I really got a kick out of that. Now I know why he can never grade papers on time.

That's all for now I guess, see ya!

I read about this game a while back, and didn't think too much of it. All I could say about it was that it was a blatant Team Fortress 2 rip-off. I just watched the trailer, and I have a few new thoughts on the game.

Pros:

-Free

-Customizable, level-upable character

-Cartoony, fun ****/p>

-Matchmaking

-On-going campaign through Europe

Cons:

-It's free, so what can I expect from it?

I think the first thing I have to say is that I LOVE the fully customizable character option. I haven't played a WWII shooter where I get to dress and name my soldier in...actually, I've never played a WWII game like that. The cartoony graphics fit the frantic gameplay, and it's a welcome break from serious WWII games (or, any other WWII game at all). The matchmaking also sounds pretty cool (no more clunky server browsers).

Considering that this game is free, I only have one somewhat negative comment. It's free. How am I supposed to know what to expect from a free game? Will it be the same quality as previous games in the series?

Any comments?

[video=JSQ0wTTx5bwKujHd]

I'm happy to announce I have uploaded my first video. It's a short compilation of unreleased Half-Life 2 sequences. If you look closely, you can see different thinds that never made it into the game (enemy character models, a boss, a strider attack). I worked hard to time the footage right (it's in synch with the piano).

A new emblem came coupled with my new video as well! Woohoo!

Games I've been playing alot recently:

I got back into Battlefield 2 as well as World of Warcraft. I've been (slowly but surely!) playing through The Movies and Baldur's Gate II: Shadow of Amn.

I think I'm going to play through Fable again, I can't get over how short it was!

this.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/KevinMcCullough/2008/01/13/the_sex-box_race_for_president

If you've read this, you're probably fuming right now. I am too.

I cannot believe any of this. Where did this guy get his information from? What are his sources? Has he played the game?

Mass Effect is an amazing game, not a rape simulator. And what is this crap about raping people with your friends "over the net". You mean Xbox LIVE? Uhhh...what? You can't even...ugh!

This kind of crap gets me so riled up. I can barely type for pete's sake! I know this isn't a knew thing, but it's just going to get worse.

And then there is this...

http://consumerist.com/344525/best-buy-forbids-you-from-buying-assassins-creed-insists-youre-buying-it-for-a-minor

If you haven't cut off your hands in anger, please tell me what you think of this. What are we going to do?

Conker's Bad Fur Day for the N64 was a great game. It was mature, funny, technically proficient, and most of all, fun. This game was for those gamers who where sick and tired of the cutesy "Banjo Kazooie-ish" platformers.

After having a few too many beers with his friends, Conker the squirrel decides to call it a day and head home. On the way, Conker gets lost and passes out. The squirrel wakes up with a hangover, no idea how to get back home, and a fairy-panther-king after him. This is the setup for the strange events to follow, such as a giant turd for a boss, a war, a gladiator fight, the slaughter of wasp-thieves, exploding mice, and much much more. The spoofs in this game are right on, and their are plenty of them. Hilarious spoofs of Jaws, Saving Private Ryan, Aliens, The Matrix, The Godfather, and Gladiator will appear throughout the game.

The gameplay is nearly flawless. There are a couple of different actions you can do, such as the helicoptery-tail-spinny-thingy (yes, that's it's real name) and the bakcflip, but the real innovation in Conker is the "context-sensitive" buttons. You walk over a big circle in the ground that reads "B" and a light bulb appears over your head. Press the B button and you will get what you need at that particular point in the game (explosives, alcohal, slingshot, etc.). Everything about these buttons is scripted, so don't think that you can go through the game with one. They are placed right where they need to be, so it eliminates the "find the item that you need to get through/over that obstacle!" routine we all grow tired of.

Puzzles, platforming, and combat are all handled brilliantly. There is alot of variety in the different tasks you do and the various puzzles you solve. You never feel as if you're not getting anywhere, or that what you're doing is pointless. The multiplayer modes are also a blast. If you ever grow tired of the single-player adventure, you and your friends can switch to the many different multiplayer modes.

The technology is very good for a game on the N64. Facial animations and expressions to accommodate the voice acting in the cutscenesare a treat. The environments, characters, and items all look fantastic. The ambience to each area is great. Whether you like gunshots in the distance, the moan of zombies (that's right, zombies!), or the growl of a dinosaur (dinosaurs!), you won't be disappointed with the sound effects.

Even with the amazing technology, gameplay, and story,the one thing that makes this title stand out is the fact that it is FUN. There is an Xbox port called Conker: Live and Reloaded, which is good, but if you have an N64, go with the original.

Gamespot review can be found here.

Recently, as games have evolved, emotional involvement with characters, the plot, or the setting has become a more interesting and important part of the gaming experience. Games can now make us happy, sad, angry, frustrated, or any other emotion you can think of. For example: At the end of Half-Life 2: Episode 2, I was so immersed in the story and characters, that I wanted to cry (for those of you who have played through it, you know why I wanted to cry). I was upset.

I think that this is a great thing for gaming. It's not only a cool feature, but it could help with all of the controversy and "video-games are art" things. Emotional involvement gives this medium a whole new makeover. You now have a motivation to do whatever you are doing, and that adds a whole new level of realism.

Forget facial expressions, partical effects, and all other graphics-related things. If a game can get you to become a part of it (through characters, story, or anything else), that is about as realistic as it gets.

Share your opinions on this topic with me. I want to know what everyone else thinks about this subject.

My list of things to get is long. Very long. Most of these games are games that I've always wanted to buy. I've just been too lazy to get around to it.

Mafia - PC

Destroy all Humans 2 - Xbox

Diablo I and II - PC

Medal of Honor Airborne - PC (I have all the PC MoHs except this one. I've got to complete the collection)

Halo - Xbox (maybe PC...) Yes, I have beaten it countless times, I just don't own it.

And once I get my NES...

Kid Icarus, Metroid, River City Ransom, Final Fantasy, Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt

I'm currently writing a sci-fi epic for fun. I'll put it up chapter by chapter, hopefully you'll all enjoy it. I think I've got the basic plot down, so the actual writing will begin shortly. T-Minus 10,000,000,000....haha.

The Hulk review is now written, and has a sad score of 5.5. It's too bad it was such a let-down. I can see that the game had a lot of potential, but what can you expect from a movie-game? Hopefully movie-games will turn around and surprise us some day.

I went down to EBGames today and purchased a copy of Destroy all Humans! So far, the game is fairly good. It has it's flaws, but it's great fun. Throwing cows with your mind, sucking out people brains, destroying farmhouses with a death-ray, kidnapping innocent civilians, man! It's a game made specificallyso sci-fi geeks can laugh at what they love. I have to admit, I am a huge sci-fi fan. Everything from Star Wars to X-Files, Roddenbury to Lovecraft. For those of you who have read my previous blogs, now you know why I need Mass Effect.

Call of Duty 2, Morrowind, and some of the various Star Wars games will be reviewed by next time, so keep an eye out for them.

Well, I installed The Hulk because I didn't have anything else to play. What an experience (or lack there of) I had. Run. Punch. Punch a wall. Repeat. I got about halfway through the game in about an hour, and I'm glad I don't have to endure this much longer. After I beat it, I'll be posting my review, so keep an eye out for it.

I'm holding out on buying games for now. I'm just going to be playing through what I haven't finished until I have some money to buy a new graphics card (my current card is a GeForce 6200 LE).

Ninja Gaiden still needs to be beaten, as well as Gun (almost there), and Chaos Theory (barely started).

Ah, Insurgency. If you don't know what it is, Insurgency is an online shooter(Half-Life 2 mod) that focuses on realism. A lot have games have tried this, but most don't achieve anything close to reality. Insurgency does. This game is about as close as you can get to the reality of combat. The gameplay, the graphics, and the sound all contribute to the amazing experience of Insurgency.

Let's start out with the gameplay. Basically, you are the infantry of either the Iraqi insurgents, or the U.S. Marines. There are different classes with different weapons. Your goal is to either attack and capture certain points on the map, or defend them from being captured. I know you're thinking, "Wow, how original! I'm sure there are no other games like this! (Sarcasm)", but this is where Insurgency sets itself apart. You can die in one or two hits, meaning you have to be very tactical and smart, and work as a team. Like in a real combat situation, you and your team must move from cover to cover, give each other suppressing fire to advance, and other things like that. There is also no hud other than where your objective is. This not only adds to the realism, but it adds some more space for watching out for the enemy, and it feels a lot less cluttered.

The graphics are phenomenal! They really add something to the game. Camouflage actually works! It's going to be more difficult to spot your foes through the haze and against the desert backdrop (did I mention it takes place in the Middle-East?). You'll often have to rely on your enemies muzzle flashes.Even for a mod, Insurgency looks better than alot of games on the market, and even provides an intense atmosphere. Knowing that you could die at any moment definitely adds a little more intensity into the mix.

The sound design is very well done. Guns are loud, and you'll know when someone's firing at you. The artillery, planes, and gunfire in the background make you feel like you are in the middle of a war zone.

Insurgency is very different than the deathmatch-style shooters that clutter the market today. It's a smart, well made game that will have you hooked for a while. I only have one minor complaint (which is probably my fault anyway, but...), sometimes, from a distance, it can be hard to tell friend from foe. Other than that, you have a solid multiplayer shooter that you need to download right now.

Ona completely unrelated topic, what happened to my PC Gamer and Good Taste emblems?