As many of you probably know, I didn't get any new games this year for Christmas. Instead, my birthday was on the 23rd December and I got two new games: Assassin's Creed 2 and Beatles: Rock Band. Here is what I think of them so far:

Assassin's Creed 2

It's been over two years since I played the Assassin's Creed 2, so naturally, it took me a while till I got fully comfortable playing AC2. After an hour or two, I was hooked. The main character Ezio, is so much better than Altair of the first game and much more of a personality. The gameplay is flawless, absolutely flawless, climbing around the city of Florence is a complete joy, from scaling a viewpoint, to bouncing along the metal poles, it is just awesome. The game has also lost it's repetive structure that the first one had, they're is also a lot of depth to the game, as it allows you to buy new weapons, dye your armour and compete in things such as races. AC2 is awesome, and will no doubt be a contender for GOTY when I announce them in January.

The Beatles: Rock Band

Harmonix took a massive risk with this game, as you simply cannot tarnish the Beatles with a bad game, and wow, they definatly pulled it off. One thing that sets it apart from the other music games is Character. There is just so much care put into the game to make sure it shows everyside to the Beatles, it is stunning. The quickplay mode it brilliant for just simply getting some mates together and rocking along to some great classics, there is also the story mode, which shows the Beatles' Journey from Liverpool to the last gig on top of the Apple Corps roof in London. It is a brilliant game.

I also want to take this opputunity to say a hope you had a great Christmas, and a Happy Boxing Day! :D

-danscfc

Awfully close to Christmas, I know. But 23rd December 2009 is my 16th birthday. I've a had a great day out so far, with a scrumptious steak and chips at my local pub. Firstly, my Mum got me Mario and Sonic and the Olympic Games because 'she thought it looked good'. I love my Mum so much, but she has no clue whatsoever about gaming. My Dad however got me: Assassin's Creed 2 and the limited Edition of The Beatles: Rock Band. I've been excited about AC2 for ages, but I never thought I would get Beatles: Rock Band. :D

Going play my new games! Have a great Christmas, guys.

-danscfc

Judging by all the blogs here on GameSpot, it's snowing somewhere in England. BUT NOT WHERE I LIVE!

Stoke-on-Trent, England has seen zero amount of snow today; just freezing cold tempretures and lots and lots of ice. So annoyed!

Anyway, on to gaming, and GameSpot have announced their 'Best of 2009' nominees and the nominee choice are fantastic! When I loaded the video up, I expected the worse: Modern Warfare 2 and Uncharted 2 nominated for everything. However, Assassin's Creed 2 and other games are much more frequent and it also does not forget about the little games that didn't quite attract the same amount of attention as Uncharted 2 and MW2.

Been playing Modern Warfare 2 nearly all day, so I thought I'd give you an update: I'm currently Rank 61 with a 1.49K/D ratio. I got the Wargasm challenge and also picked up the 'The Bigger they are...' challenge and the '...Harder they fall' challenge. Modern Warfare 2 so awesome online. Definately should win GameSpot's award for 'Best Competitive Multiplayer'.

I also finished school today for the Christmas holidays, I also gave in my application form for college so that's all good. When I get back school, I have some science exams, so I will need to revise during the latter part of these holidays. But let's not dampen the mood. Enjoy the holidays, guys.

-danscfc

At last night's VGA awards, there some serious games announced: Halo: Reach, Batman: Arkham Asylum 2; but one caught my eye:

So, EA have decided the revive the Medal of Honor series in order to tackle and win back it's place as the dominant FPS from Modern Warfare/Call of Duty. So, to be honest, I've known about this for awhile, however, I managed to see the trailer shown at last night's VGA's and... WOW!

You can see the trailer in all it's High Definition glory here on GameTrailers: Medal of Honor Reveal Trailer

My Impressions? Well, it's obvious EA are going to try and use Medal of Honor and Battlefield to try and tackle Activision's dominance with Call of Duty and Modern Warfare. Whether it will work, I'm not sure. I am sure, however, that both Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Medal of Honor will be good games, but to topple Modern Warfare is nearly impossible, right?

So, what are your guys views on it? Will EA be able to topple the giant of Call of Duty? Only time will tell when Medal of Honor and the new Call of Duty will go head to head come Autumn 2010.

Normally by this time of year, I would have announced my nominees for my Game of the Year award. However, I will be getting Assassin's Creed 2 for Christmas (or Birthday) so I need to have time to play it and enjoy it. Expect the nominees by middle of January.

Assassin's Creed 2, however, looks AWESOME! The reviews have been fantastic and it sounds like my friends here on GameSpot are loving it too. You cannot get away from the fact that the original was a disappointment, it was SO repetitive, the story sucked and there was a distinct lack of depth. However, all these things seemed to have been fixed, so I cannot wait to play Assassin's Creed 2.

Last night, I managed to finish off my quest to get all the Modern Warfare 2 Intel Items. Seriously, those Russians need to be careful where they leave there laptops. I found one stashed in a dumpster. I just need now to complete 3 more Spec Ops missions on Veteran to finish off all the achievements so I can focus solely on AC2.

Even though mine has been delayed, the Game of the Year awards have been flooding in here from my friends of GameSpot. It seems to be a two-way battle between the PS3's Uncharted 2 and Modern Warfare 2, with a few Assassin's Creed 2 here and there. However, the Video Game Awards are tonight and although I probably won't be able to watch them (due to it's late timing here in the UK) I cannot wait to see the Halo: Reach trailer. No CGI. No Special Effects. Just Halo: Reach gameplay. Surely one of the most anticipated game for next year.

I also want to apologise for a lack of activeness. I think I may have managed to catch up on everything, but yet again I apologise. Been busy due to the time of year, and a certain girl in my life.

13 days till Christmas. Stay Safe.

Okay, so last night, I finally got to watch Batman Begins. Three words: IT IS AWESOME! After watching it I thought about what a great year of Batman I have had this year.

The amazing year of Batman started at the beginning of the year. I got it on DVD for Christmas and I literally could not stop watching it. I was astounding by the amazing music, fantastic acting (Heath Ledger as the Joker) and action-packed scenes. This is is truly one of the best films I have ever seen.

And then, at the end of August, I picked up Batman: Arkham Asylum- WOW! Absolutely awesome game and a very rare excellent super-hero game. It just made you feel like Batman, running around Arkham Island, striking your enemies from the darkness. The guys at Rocksteady studios did an amazing job with Arkham Asylum; and it is sure to be a Game of the Year 2009 contender when I announced them some time early next year.

And so last night I watched Batman Begins which revolves around Bruce Wayne's becoming of Batman. It is a brilliant film, which doesn't quite beat The Dark Knight, but it's still pretty awesome.

So this year has been one brilliant year for the Caped Crusader. The best superhero of all time!

So, after a day of Christmas shopping, I'm about to sit down and play some games on the Xbox. I personally will be continuing my manager mode on the awesome FIFA 10 and continue my quest for 1000G on Modern Warfare 2.

On Modern Warfare 2, I have just 3 more Spec Ops missions to complete. Wardriving, Estate Takedown and Wetwork. I also need to collect all the enemy intels. On the multiplayer side of things, I am going to be edging towards Prestiging- although I think I'm going to fall short of my target of Prestiging before Christmas.

I'm also trying for this sweet challenge:

Wargasm

Get all your 3 killstreaks in under 20 seconds

This unlocks a sweet title and Infinity Ward emblem for my callsign. Talking of Infinity Ward, I felt like a change and changed my Avatar to Infinity Ward's logo. Like it?

Christmas is now just 20 days away and that means 20 days until I get to take Ezio around for a spin in Renassiance Italy in Assassin's Creed 2. Also, because I won't get to play AC 2 till Christmas, I won't be announcing my Game of the Year contenders till I have fully completed (and enjoyed) Assassin's Creed 2. There will be no 'Best Multiplayer Game' or 'Best Looking Game'... just one Best Game of 2009.

Also, I just want any of you on Twitter to follow me @ twitter.com/danscfc

Stay Safe. Stay Tuned.

So my night consisted of playing Modern Warfare 2 on Veteran and I finally completed it tonight. It is by far the easiest Call of Duty on Veteran and I enjoyed it thoroughly. There are some hard parts but all in all, not too hard.

With Christmas gaining, I really want to finish up some games so I can just focus on Assassin's Creed 2 when I get it. Here are some goals:

• Finish the last 3 Spec Ops missions and get 1000G on Modern Warfare 2
• Get further into Forza 3's Career mode
• Prestige on MW2's multiplayer

Talking of Christmas, today was the 1st December, which (for me) signals the start of Christmas. I love Christmas! Who doesn't? This morning I opened the first window of my Christmas calendar and just 24 more to open.

My birthday is 23rd December (Yes I know, and yes, it does suck) so I will also be getting some more stuff. Also, in my last post I talked about PS3 games I would like to see on Xbox 360. Some people took that as a signal that I may be getting a PS3 this Christmas. I'll say this: I am not getting a PS3!

Stay Safe. Stay Tuned.

While the Xbox 360 (in my opinion) is better than the Playstation 3, the PS3 has some sweet exclusives that I would gladly welcome coming to the 360:

1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Back in October, so many blogs from my friends here on GameSpot were raving about this game. It seems like the perfect action/adventure game with amazing graphics, superb gameplay and a great story. Even though I have never played it, Uncharted 2 seems like an awesome game that I would love to play on Xbox 360.

2. LittleBigPlanet

LittleBigPlanet seems like a game like no other. Recieved excellently by the reviewers and a game that satisfies both casual and hardcore gamers. LittleBigPlanet is a great PS3 exclusive.

3. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

I'll say this: I have never played a Metal Gear Solid game. However, MGS4 seems like one of the best games of all time. GameSpot gave it a 10 and again recieved brilliantly by critics. Metal Gear Solid 4 appeals to me so much as a FPS lover and I would love to see Microsoft bring it to the Xbox 360.

4. Killzone 2

Killzone 2 appeals to any FPS fan. I have seem some videos and they look awesome. Amazing graphics with great gameplay is always an epic win!

Okay guys, those are the PS3 games I would love to see on the 360.

PS3 owners, are they really that good? What 360 games would you like to see on PS3?

360 owners, do you agree with these? What other PS3 games would you like to see?

In other news, I have been really busy this week with exams and family stuff, however, this weekend is going to be SOLID GAMING! I've had no time to carry on Modern Warfare 2 on Veteran and also my Manager Mode on FIFA 10. When I get in from school tomorrow: LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Stay Safe. Stay Tuned.

So I'm currently going through two weeks of school full of trial exams. Good thing is: they're only trial exams, so if I screw up, it doesn't count. :)

Anyway, because of the exams I haven't been able to properly sit down and plough through MW2's campaign on Veteran. I'm currently on the Favela mission in Rio de Janerio. I did it first on Hardened but Veteran takes it to a new difficulty completely. One bad move, or one bad reload and your dead and doing the same bit again and again. I've also decided to get Assassin's Creed 2 for Christmas, so I need to complete the campaign and Spec Ops before the 25th December. In case you missed it in my last blog, I've posted my review:

Modern Warfare 2 Review

However, in the multiplayer, I'm going along nicely. Level 42 with a 1.42 K/D ratio. My favourite gun in the SCAR and my favourite map has to be Terminal.

Also, you need to vote in the Spike TV Game of the Year awards here. Here are some of my votes:

Best DLC: Ballad of Gay Tony (GTA IV)

Best Action/ Adventure: Batman: Arkham Asylum

Most Anticipated Game: BioShock 2

Talking of BioShock 2, I'll leave you with a pic of it's STUNNING boxart:

Awesome! Stay Safe.