So, yeah, Far Cry 2. I'm not exactly sure what to say about it. I haven't had theopportunity to play the game for more than two hours, but I'll hopefully have more time to over Christmas break. The story is probably the weakest part of the entire game. You're some kind of assassin who's assigned to kill a mercenary known only as "The Jackal." For the first ten or fifteen minutes of the game, you'll spend your time looking at the African terrain from the back seat of a car. The Jackal actually talks to you for about five or so minutes inside a building before disappearing. When you get out of the building you're in, you'll find a battle right outside. One thing I noticed is that the game isn't very linear. The goal was to escape the town, and I luckily went the right way, but still, the game didn't imply to go that way at all. One thing that annoyed me is the fact that the character you play as has malaria. You'll have to complete optional tasks for your buddies, who you meet later in the game. The health system is a lot different than, say, Call of Duty: World at War. Instead of a throbbing red screen, you have a health bar that lowers every time you get hit. You have the option to heal, which haves you perform self-surgery, and it's pretty unrealistic. The graphics are great. The environments are nicely detailed and the character models look good, all at a steady framerate. That's all I have to say about it right now, but I'd probably give it somewhere around an 8.

I've seen that some people don't exactly know what the rating numbers mean, so I'll offer my opinion on what the numbers mean

10 - MASTERFUL - No game is absolutely perfect, but a 10 represents a virtually flawless game. This is a very rare score for me to give a game, and it'll for sure earn a game of the year award. Anyway, if I give a game a 10, it's probably the best game I've ever played.

9.5-9.9 - INCREDIBLE - Titles in this range are fantastic in every aspect with only a couple of minor flaws. Not only are these must-owns for fans of the genre, but I also encourage gamers new to the genre to buy it.

9.0-9.4 - OUTSTANDING/SUPERB- If a game scores a 9, you know it's a worthwhile experience with a few flaws that probably aren't too important. These titles are also must-owns, even if you're not particularly fond of the genre.

8.5-8.9 - GREAT - These games are great with a few noticeable flaws that can easily overlooked due to their quality. These titles come highly recommended by me, so go buy them - you probably won't be disappointed.

8.0-8.4 - IMPRESSIVE - While they may not have the award-winning qualities of my higher-rated games, these titles are a heck of a lot of fun to play for most gaming audiences.

7.5-7.9 - GOOD - These titles do have some obvious flaws, but they are overshadowed by the fun experiences they provide. While they may not be for everyone, they provide genuine fun while they last.

7.0-7.4 - DECENT/SOLID - These titles are above-average, but just not fantastic. Fans of the genre will still highly enjoy it.

6.5-6.9 - FAIR/AVERAGE - Games in this range have more faults than strengths, but they're still worth a look for fans of the genre. They prove to be merely average games. Rent or download these games before paying the full price for them.

6.0-6.4 - PASSABLE/ADEQUATE - These games are barely what you'd want out of the genre. Consider renting it at highest, but fans of the genre may still like it.

5.0-5.9 - MEDIOCRE - Only fans of the genre will want to play this game. You won't want to own a game that scores in the 5s.

4.0-4.9 - POOR - Games that score in this range aren't worth your attention, and if you own one, you'll likely be sending it back to the store you bought it from. If your grandmother buys you a 4 game because she thinks it's cute, take my word for it: it's not.

3.0-3.9 - BAD - IF your parents give you a title in this category for birthday, consider asking for socks instead. These games are just that bad.

2.0-2.9 - TERRIBLE - These games aren't good enough to recycle. You'll probably have more fun playing with the box than the actual game. These titles are considered "broken."

1.0-1.9 - ABYSMAL - Absolutely horrendous; put them in a paper bag, set it aflame on your neighbor's porch, ring the doorbell, and then run like hell. Expect unforgivable technical issues and game design.

0.1-0.9 - WORTHLESS - GameSpot doesn't even let me rate these numbers, but I will put them in my final score at the end of my review. I think we have the right to question the developer's sanity at this point.

0.0 - WTF? - Run far, far away and never look back. These are the perfect example of pure, frothing a$$. Yes, I did say frothing a$$.

I actually forgot to mention in my previous blog that I happened to see Transporter 3 last Saturday. First off, I've never seen the previous Transporter movies, so I don't really know if they effect howcomprehendible the plot in this movie is. The previews of the movie looked pretty cool, but the movie ultimately ended up being mediocre. If there's one thing you need to know about the plot, it would be that it's pretty standard and banal. Frank Martin (Jason Statham) gets a wrist bomb (I guess that's what you call it) put on him, and he can't go any further than 75 feet away from his assigned Audi (not an Audi R8, unfortunately), and if he does, he blows up. The prime minister's daughter also has a wrist bomb, and the people Frank's working for are trying to get the prime minister to sign some sort of contract. I've got to say, the prime minister's daughter isn't pretty or hot, and has got to be the worst actress I've ever seen. The action scenes are generally quite entertaining to watch. If you're familiar with Jackie Chan-like fighting sequences, you'll find plenty to enjoy in thatcategory. That's pretty much all I have to say about it--the action scenes are good, but the standard plot and the horrible actress rust the movie's otherwise shiny premise. It's not to say that it's bad, it's just shallower than what was presented, and quite frankly, it doesn't bring anything new or interesting to the genre. Even though the movie only has two flaws in my opinion, they do a great job of preventing Transporter 3 from driving fast.

Score - 6

Well, I haven't posted a blog in a REALLY long time, and I'm sorry for that. First off, I'd like to wish everyone a belated happy Thanksgiving - mine of course was playing Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty: World at War. The main reason I posted this blog - aside from proving that I'm not dead - is to list some games that are on my Christmas list.

Saints Row 2 - For some reason, I happened to miss this game, but I loved the first game so I'll definitely be getting this, especially with the two-player co-op.

Far Cry 2 - It's gotten great reviews from both GameSpot and IGN (8.5 and 8.8) and I've heard there's a map editor, plus the campaign looks really cool.

Fallout 3 - While the graphics didn't exactly look superb from the screenshots, Fallout 3 has gotten fantastic reviews from GameSpot and IGN (9 and 9.6), and it looks cool that you can target different parts of an enemy.

The Godfather - This is an old game - I know - but I'm really into open-world games and a few of my friends say they like it a lot.

Crackdown - Again, this is another open-world game where I think you play as a cop with super-human strength and agility. It sounds pretty fun, right?

Fable II - I'm pretty sure it's an RPG and that it's an open-world game, and that's right up my alley, so I'll be getting it, especially with the great review from GameSpot.

Silent Hill: Homecoming - Despite the somewhat mediocre reviews from GameSpot and IGN (6.5 and 6.7), the game's visuals look fantastic, the environments and monsters look horrifying, but I'm ultimately in it more for the story than the scares.

Infinite Undiscovery - Even though it's been getting only decent reviews, it looks a lot like the Kingdom Hearts series, which were, in my opinion, the two best games to ever come out on the Playstation 2.

Frontline: Fuels of War - It looks a lot like Call of Duty 4, and I've heard the multiplayer supports up to around 50 players, so I'll be checking this one out.

In three or four weeks, I'll review all these games, plus check out my Gears of War 2 review for you guys who are still pondering whether or not to purchase it - trust me, you'll want to.

Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty: World at War are probably the most anticipated games all year.  I'll post reviews on them and on Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, but I'll give you a brief description on the two games.

In Gears 2, the single player campaign feels a lot like its predecessor's, but at the same time, it feels entirely different due to the variety of environments.  There are several multiplayer modes, including a 5-team versus mode with two players in each, capture the flag with the flag being an actual person, and many new maps.  When you down an enemy, you'll have the option to use him as a meat shield, perform the curb stomp, or to repeatedly punch him to death.  But the biggest new addition is the Horde mode, which is basically you and four other players are faced with 50 waves of Locust, and it is a lot of fun to play.  In terms of the presentation standpoint, Gears 2 is an outstanding technical achievement, making it one of the best looking games to come out all year.

Call of Duty 5 remains true to its predecessor's formula.  The solo campaign can now be played with another player, or with three others over Xbox Live, but it's implemented as a multiplayer mode.  The multiplayer remains true to that of Call of Duty 4's, with tons of guns and perks to play around with, but you'll also have the ability to control tanks.  Another addition is Nazi Zombies, which puts you and three other players in a house while the undead try to break into it, and they get harder each wave, similar to that of Gears 2. The graphics, while impressive at a glance, don't really hold up throughout the entire experience.  

Finally, after a few months' worth of hard work, my gamerscore has reached 20000! I'll probably be playing Gears of War 2 for the wholeweekend.

Well, Halloween is a mere two days away, so it's time to ready your bags, put on your costumes and steal some candy. I won't actually be doing that. My gamerscore is 19760, so I'll be getting to 20000 while wearing a Mike Myers mask on Halloween night. I'm getting too old for trick-or-treating, but all the girls in our class are probably going to. In my opinion, gaming is far more important than walking around alone at night.

This is my formula for reviewing games.

OPENING COMMENTS - I say why I might've gotten the game, if I'm a fan of the particular genre/series, and if you should get it.

STORY - This is the story of the game. I judge whether the dialogue is good, the pacing isfluent, and actual plot is interesting. Sometimes a game doesn't have a story, like sports games, so I'll mark this section N/A. This isn't the most important part of the game because even if a game doesn't have a good story, it could have great gameplay and would be a lot of fun.

GRAPHICS - This is the visual presentation, one of the most important parts of the game. I judge how much detail is in the environments, how good the character models are, how crisp and sharp it looks, any visual glitches (someone disappearing or going through a wall), the frame rate, pop-ups, clipping issues, and how much of an upgrade the game is from its predecessor, if any.

SOUND - I judge if the sound is in sync with what's going on, whether the sound effects, AKA in-game sound, are good, whether the voice acting is good, what the soundtrack is like and if there are any sound hiccups.

GAMEPLAY - Probably the most important part of the game. I judge the game controls, level design, mission design, how the game feels, what enemies you face, how much variety your attacks/weapons have how big the map is (if it's a sandbox game), the AI, how difficult is may be, how many characters you play as (if you are able to), optional missions/side missions, the upgrading system (if any) and how fun the game is. Even if a game's graphics suck, I'd still get it if it was fun.

MULTIPLAYER - This is the game's multiplayer. I judge the matchmaking, how many game modes there are, if there are any customizable options, how many maps there are, split-screening with another player (if any) and cooperative missions, whether it be in the campaign or multiplayer.

PRESENTATION - This isn't the audiovisual presentation, so what's PRESENTATION? I judge the game's options, packaging/manual and the load times. This is probably the least important part of the game.

ENJOYMENT/LASTING APPEAL - I judge how long you'll probably be playing the game for. I state how long the campaign is, whether you'll be replaying it again, and how long you'll be playing the multiplayer for (if any). I state again how fun the game is.

CLOSING COMMENTS - I talk about who should get the game, like fans of the particular genre or series, or if you're new to the genre or series, and whether or not it's worth a buy or a rent or a pass on it. I sum up how good the game is, and if it has any major flaws.

FINAL SCORE - This is where I put the final score for the game, and I'll post another blog about how I rate games.

There's been a ton of games that have come out within the past month and that will be coming out that I unfortunately haven't had the time to pick up yet. I'll start from the least important to most important in my opinion, but they all look worthy of checking out.

7. Lego Batman - I haven't played this game yet but intend to pick it up for achievements. It still looks like a fun game to play, since I enjoyed the Lego Star Wars games and Lego Indiana Jones. It looks worthy of looking at if you're a fan of those games.

6. NBA Live 09 - For basketball fans like myself, this game looks pretty solid, although it had a passable score by IGN and the same score as itspredecessor from GameSpot.

5. NBA 2K9 - I always enjoyed the 2K series better because it's more realistic and more enjoyable. IGN and GameSpot have given it an 8 and an 8.5, so it's probably a great basketball game which I'll definitely be picking up soon.

4. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows - I thought Spider-Man 3 was a great game for the Xbox 360, even though most hated it. IGN gave it a 5.7, but they gave SM3 a 6 and I loved that, so the game will probably be great for Spidey fans like me or for anyone who wants an action game.

3. Saints Row 2 - This game looks somewhat like GTA IV except with an arcady feel. For GTA or Saints Row fans like myself, this will probably be a must buy and you'll most likely enjoy it.

2. Gears of War 2 - This may have a shot for winning game of the year in my blogs. There's a few different enemies added in - including the giant T-Rex-like monster with a cannon over its head. Hopefully they've added more modes in multiplayer and customization options, but I heard the campaign has five player co-op, which I'm a huge fan of. Hopefully they get rid of the Execution mode, which sucked because your opponents almost never die. I have a feeling this game will be unique, though, and will easily pass the 9 mark.

1. Call of Duty: World At War - I'm not so sure about the series going back to WWII, but I heard it has four-player co-op and you'll be able to pilot tanks and vehicles. The multiplayer looks exactly like COD4 with customization options except with different guns and a different setting. The game flat out looks awesome and FPS fans like myself will probably fall in love with this like I did with COD4.

I plan to review every one of these games when I get them, and review Rainbow Six Vegas, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2, and some basketball games I got.

Like the mindless blockbuster horror films before it, One Missed Call features plenty of scary moments and not much else. At the start of the movie a woman gets grabbed into her backyard pond to her watery grave by some pale hand. Every ten to fifteen minutes or so something horrifying will happen to the main characters throughout the short film. The main characters in the movie are Beth Raymond, an undergraduate student and an irrelevant cop named Jack. Beth's friendsreceive disturbing phone messages from some unknown caller where they hear their own deaths, and the message is apparently received a few days in the future, and that is when the character dies. During the time before each character dies, they see strange things during their daily routines. They usually see some sort of zombie for a brief moment and then it disappeared. One character saw a construction worker's face actually resembledFrankenstein a bit. Probably the scariest thing about this movie is a strangeJapanese woman with a babycarriage beside her. Instead of having two eyes, she has screaming mouths and a blank expression.Another scary part about the movie is the mastermind, an 8-year old girl who looks like a ghoul and is always making sounds like puffing on an inhaler and moves around like static. Well, that isn't her, just some dude replicating her. Apparently the mother of the girl is some old woman and you see her dead body come to life and crawl all over Beth. Overall this is a really scary movie with a horrible plot but with scary moments.Score - 6