I have been all about the "Gears" this summer. It began back in June with the release of Metal Gear Solid 4. Man, I was hurting bad to get that game and it certainly lived up to the hype. Awesome gameplay + great storytelling = MGS4 and I loved every minute of it.

I had a break in July and now after E3, I'm hyped about another game with "Gear" in the title: Gears of War 2. After seeing the awesome demo displayed by Cliff B. at the Microsoft press conference and multiple times after that on Gamespot and G4's coverage, I am easily as excited about GOW2 as I was a few months ago for MGS4. Every bit of the game looks absolutely stinkin' amazing. I'm especially glad to hear that they are further trying to balance out the multiplayer portion of the game, because I am so sick of people cheating the system online in GOW 1. In order to prepare for the upcoming GOW 2 release, I've been going back and working on beating GOW 1 on insane mode. That is a feat I never bothered with back when I first got the game. I have completed everything up to the battle with General RAAM and I must say that that has been a doozie so far. I found a cheap way to beat him on YouTube, but I just don't feel right doing it any other way than the proper way, which is with plenty of longshots with active reload bonuses and torque bow shots. Anyways, did I mention I'm jacked about GOW 2?

Who else is psyched about GOW 2?

UPDATE: I beat General RAAM last night. It ended up only taking me two tries the second time around. I guess it just takes a little practice and determination. Now November 7th needs to hurry up and get here ASAP!

Also, on another note. I have been playing Braid (I always want to call it Baird - I still have Gears in my head!). It is as sweet as everyone has been saying. A bunch of the puzzles are mind-bending as all get out, but I love the challenge. I highly recommend it to platforming/puzzle fans.