The gaming bliss I predicted in September is now here. Having purchased my Nintendo DS with Super Mario 64 DS and Feel the Magic XY/XX, also having just recently purchased Metal Gear Solid 3, Metroid Prime 2, Halo 2 and San Andreas, and then even more recently just purchasing World of Warcraft (Collector's Edition :D), this is truly a great time. So far I've only completed Metal Gear Solid 3 (loved it) and Halo 2 (decent single player, awesome multiplayer). I'm moving through Metroid Prime 2 at a fair pace, and I'm loving every second of it. San Andreas is temporarily on the back burner and I haven't even installed World of Warcraft (waiting for finals to end, bought it already because I wanted Collector's Edition). I also have plans to purchase Half Life 2 soon, after I fix my PC (the motherboard burned out, so I'm upgrading at the same time :D), which is another reason why I haven't installed World of Warcraft. So gamers, please sit in the upright position and fasten your safety belts, this might be a rough ride, but you'll love every minute of it.

I will no longer tell myself I will not purchase a game. I did buy one last week, and it was only because it was such a great deal, but I will no longer put expectations upon myself that are impossible to keep (as long as I have a job). I purchased Sword of Mana for the GBA, no where near my favorite game, but also no where near my most hated game. It's like a Zelda game, but just not as good. Got it for only $20 CDN, which isn't quite bad, that's about $13 USD. This week I know I will be buying games, 2 at least. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and Mortal Kombat: Deception for the Xbox. I know MK came out last week, but I'm getting it this week. That's all for now.

I vowed to myself, "I will go a week without buying a game". It was almost mission complete, when all of a sudden, I read a news article on how MGM was being bought out by Sony and the next Bond movie was being put on hold. Then I remembered, I really liked the demo for Everything or Nothing, I wonder how much it is. A couple clicks later I got Everything or Nothing En route to my house for the low low price of $29.99 CDN (that's $19.99 for all you Americans). After I did it, I realised how I am when it comes to buying video games, I buy everything I want. Since I already broke my oath I decided to pick up Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (a long overdue purchase). So in a week that I vowed to buy NO games, I end up buying 2. At least I was partially good not buying any new releases, yea, I'll give myself that. Ok, now that I rationalized my purchases last week I will now vow not to buy any games this week, I'll give a report back next week with how I do.

I picked it up yesterday but didn't get a chance to try it until today. The time flies by when your playing this game. It's so simple, yet so fun. It's so strange, yet so entertaining. I'm not quite sure what makes this game work, but I do know that it does indeed work. It's probably a mixture of all the strange ingredients that just by chance made this masterpiece. The original and cheery soundtrack, the bright and vibrant graphics, the strange gameplay and the even stranger storyline. This game is a great deal at the greatest hits price of $20 ($30 CDN), especially if you are looking for something new and fresh.

Second year university, work on weekends, and far too many new games coming out that I want. It's a busy time for a full time student, part time employee and full time gamer. In the last week I have purchased 5 new releases, starting with the most recent, Katamari Damacy (PS2), Star Wars Battlefront (Xbox), Sly 2: Band of Thieves (PS2), Guilty Gear XX #Reload (Xbox) and Fable (Xbox). Where do I find time to play them all, well, it's a good thing Star Wars Battlefront and Guilty Gear are mainly for online play (at least for me) and can be served in small doses. Although what I intend to be a small dose of Battlefront turned into 2 hours last night. Next Katamari Damacy from what I've heard is a short but very fun game, I haven't had the pleasure of playing it yet, actually because I just got the call from EB Games that it is in, so I'll be trying that later today. Everything I've heard about it is good, and with it being short I should be able to fit it into my schedule. Sly 2 I also haven't played yet because I just haven't had the chance yet, but I really enjoyed the first one so being able to fit it in should come quite easy. Fable I'm about 5 hours into, some people say they have beaten it in 7 hours, but I highly doubt I could pull that off, I spend much time in the game exploring and not just going from quest to quest. It will probably take me somewhere around 15 hours to complete. Although I am very busy, I always find time to sit back and enjoy some new games. Between classes, assignments, studying and work, I always make sure I squeeze a good 2 or so hours playing games a day. This is only the start of the title flood that marks Q4 (we aren't even in it yet, still at the end of Q3). At least I have about a month until San Andreas, and about a month and a half till Halo 2, and then Metal Gear Solid 3 and Metroid Prime 2 a week later. Tether yourself down, this has only just begun, and although I don't have much free time, this season is gaming bliss.