Waiting for File Planet downloads sucks! But its not worth paying to subscribe to the service for a single download of a beta. I don't plan to use the site anymore for other downloads so I have to suck it up and ride out the time remaining until the file starts downloading. Since I have to work today, I probably won't get to play until tomorrow morning. This sucks even more.

I am so excited right now. I bought my old Gateway laptop almost 3 years ago ( a few months after the launch of Windows Vista) and it has caused me nothing but problems with the hard drive. I purchased the extended warranty from Best Buy (thankfully) and never had to pay for a replacement hard drive.

If you're not familiar with Best Buy's extended warranty program, they offer a "no lemon" policy for their computers. If a computer has to be repaired for the same problem 3 times and it happens a 4th time, they send out the computer to be junked out. After its approved by the main service center, you can go into the store and they will give you a new computer of comparable technology.

Comparable technology doesn't exist in the computer world almost 3 years later. So, basically, the store allowed me to pick out a computer with a price tag of $699 or less for completely free...and all I had to do was buy a new extended warranty! So here's the specs on my computer:

HP Pavilion Entertainment PC Notebook
Model dv7-3065dx

-AMD Turion Ultra Dual Core Mobile Processor M600 (2.4 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache)
-17.3" LED High-Def Widescreen Display
-500 GB (7200 RPM) Hard Drive
-4096MB DDR2 SDRAM
-Blu-Ray ROM with Lightscribe Double Layer Optical Drive
-5-in-1 Digital Media Reader
-ExpressCard/54 PC Card Slot
-ATI Radeon HD 4200 Graphics with 128MB DDR2 Display Cache
-Windows 7 Home Premium
-Webcam
-Altec Lansing SRS Premium Sound Speakers

I've been looking at this computer since Best Buy was selling it for $899. I was so very close to buying this computer because at the time, my old laptop's hard drive had only crashed 2 times (2 times more needed for junk out to happen). I decided to hold off buying it because although I had the money, it wasn't something I needed to buy. Then, my hard drive crashed twice in a span of 2 weeks and when I went to the store today to pick out my new rig, my next computer was still on display, staring me in the face.

So, I am quite the excited dude right now. I have just one question for the PC gamers out there. I am a console gamer, and I always will be primarily. However, there is one game that is coming out in February that I'm going to play, which is Star Trek Online. Based on the specs that I've given above, will this be enough to run the game smoothly (not necessarily on the absolute higest settings)?

So, yeah, its been about a month and a half since my last blog in general and several months since I've posted a blog of what I've been playing recently. I'm gonna take care of both with this blog. I'll only post images and descriptions of my games within the month to keep this shorter than it should be.

I consider myself a casual fan of the movie series. Plus, I had read some half decent reviews for the game, so I decided to give it a shot as a rental. It took me 6 days to finish the game with some help from the Internet, but I got the full 1000 points with barely trying. This doesn't mean that the experience that the game offers shouldn't be taken. You may find yourself frustrated by some of the game's puzzles towards the end. Providing two endings, one of which is exactly in the pattern of the movies. Easy 1000 points, and a decent journey to be had!

I'm just at the third area of the game (where you choose your side). I've had the game since launch and I'm not making progress quickly. I usually put this in if I need a break from another game that I'm currently trying to make my way through. It's fun, but not as much as the first game. I couldn't put MUA 1 down until I beat it.

I've been plugging away at this game since the day I bought it. I would venture to say that I'm about 3/5th through the game's first playthrough at level 27. I haven't been playing online co-op because its hard to find someone who is on exactly the same missions that I'm playing though.

Re-experiencing both of these fine examples of making a compelling action game. Seeing the games in glorious HD resolutions makes it even better. I have played though the first God of War and earned about 82% of the trophies available. As for GoW 2, I have only made it to the first checkpoint of the prologue to the game (fighting the Colossus of Rhodes) but already earned the 500 hit combo trophy! I'm looking to get platinum trophies in both games

So, that's the summary of my recent gaming. Hope you enjoyed reading what I've been up to, and feel free to offer advice for anything that I'm currently working on (Saw excluded).

AWESOME!! That's the one word I can use to describe this game. Everything that I loved about the first game is so far made a triumphant return, but much improved. I have just completed the first memory strand and started on the second. I'm still very early in the game but I can't wait to play more of it.

It's very difficult for me to pinpoint my ten favorite horror movies of all time, as there are so many factors to consider. I would very likely have to make it a top 50 or even more. So, I'm taking a sub-genre and making a top 10 list of Horror movies that feature a good dose of comedic elements, either intentional or not.

10. Dead Alive - Before Peter Jackson was directing epic fantasy trilogies, he was a low-budget king of gross out films. This, his homage to the zombie genre features such lines as "I kick arse for the Lord" from a priest and fake blood pumped out at 5 gallons per second for the infamous "lawnmower scene." Note: Dead Alive is the U.S. title for the film. Peter Jackson's original title is "Braindead."

9. The Abominable Dr Phibes - Earns its place on the list for its over the top performance by genre icon Vincent Price as well as the allusions the film's killings makes to the 10 biblical plagues. I remember seeing this movie first when I was very young and I refused to go to sleep one night. I didn't know at the time who Vincent Price was nor his impact on horror movies. This movie gets better as I age.

8. Creepshow - The synthesis project of Stephen King and George A. Romero, this anthology film features excellent writing and plenty of funny moments. A special place in my heart goes to this film for being shot in the "Zombie Capital of the World," my hometown, Pittsburgh. The short animated sequences that tie the stories together are cla ssic 80s cheesy goodness.

7. An American Werewolf in London - John Landis directed this cult cla ssic film that follows the now overused "American in Foreign Country" set up that films like Hostel and Turistas used. This film features less comedy than some of the films in either direction on this list, but it allowed director Landis to pad his resume after critical successes like "Kentucky Fried Movie" and "National Lampoon's Animal House." It was Werewolf that convinced Michael Jackson to hire Landis todirect the greatest music video of all time, "Thriller."

6. Re-Animator - The cult star vehicle for character actor Jeffrey Combs, this H.P. Lovecraft short story turned low budget horror comedy rightfully has a solid spot on the list. While it features plenty of gory moments and a common "mad doctor" theme that permeates the horror genre, the real highlight of the movie is Jeffery Combs. He made a name for himself among the horror afficianado. Combs went on to star in two more Re-Animator movies and a slew of character and recurring roles in 3 Star Trek series.

Tomorrow: Films 5 through 1

I know I'm gonna be at Gamestop first thing tomorrow morning to get my copy of Borderlands and start playing right away around 10:30-11:00 EST. Anyone gonna be there with me?

Faithful friends and readers, after four weeks of anticipation and patience, it is now time to reveal my top melee weapon. This weapon is the ultimate in terms of uniqueness, power, versatility, etc. Perhaps you knew what it was going to be, perhaps you had some suspicions as to what was missing from my list, perhaps this will be a total surprise. No matter what you were thinking, this is my pick.

#1 Blades of Chaos - I remember standing in a Gamestop a couple months before the release of God of War playing the demo. I couldn't deny how insanely awesome it was to control Kratos and utilize his blades that were seared to his forearms as a gift/punishment from Ares. That feeling never dissipated while playing through the full game when it came out nor its subsequent sequel. Hands down, the versatility and awesome destructive power of these weapons is everything that could be wished for in an action game.

I sincerely hope that you enjoyed reading my four blog series on top melee weapons. Agree or disagree with my choices, I am glad for the comments and would like to know what YOUR #1 WEAPON would be.

Here it is, the second to last installment in my blog series on my Top 10 Melee Weapons in gaming. I don't have too much to say to preface the list, so we'll get started

#4 Gunblade – Technically a hybrid weapon, the Gunblade from Final Fantasy VIII is a melee weapon with an attached revolver as a secondary weapon. By hitting the R1 button at the right moment during an attack animation, your simple weapon strike dealt extra damage. Before the Chainsaw Bayonet came along and became famous for combining melee with projectile, Final Fantasy VIII did it first, which earns it a place on this. . list. Seeing as how its primary function is as a striking/slashing weapon, I definitely am willing to consider this a part of my list.

#3 Agni & Rudra - Taking their names from the creatures you take them from after their defeat, these brother swords make their appearance in Devil May Cry 3. One possessing the ability to fling fire, the other gusts of wind, these swords work in tandem and can be temporarily combined into a double-sided scimitar. An interesting bit of trivia, in Hinduism, Agni is the god of fire and Rudra the god of storms.

#2 Wooden Sword/Unlabored Flawlessness – Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox introduced this weapon early on in the game. If you chose to buy it (and who didn't, because it was so cheap) you were rewarded with the weakest weapon in the game. However, the tenacious player who spent over 100,000 Essence to fully upgrade this simple training tool was rewarded with Unlabored Flawlessness, the most powerful weapon in the entire game!

Here is the second installment of my four blog series of the top 10 melee weapons in video games. As I mentioned in a comment of my previous blog entry, in order to make it up the list closer to #1, a weapon has to be fairly unique. As with #10 and #8, while they are only found in one series, they make an appearance in nearly every game of that series. The following three weapons are more unique and while they may make an appearance in more than one game, they are still more unique in style than previous entries.

#7 Walkers/Ravens - Any game that allows you to beat the tar out of an enemy and use a part of their body to beat the crap out of more enemies deserves to be on this list. Defeat a Walker in any of the Battletoads games and you use its leg as a baseball bat. Defeat a Raven and you'll get the chance to use its beak as a sword. HELL YEAH!

#6 Keyblade - Kingdom Hearts took two of my favorite things, Final Fantasy and Disney, and teamed them up in order to save the world from evil. Other than being cool just on those merits, the main weapon is a Key that doubles as a sword. Sure, its not exactly plausible in reality, but neither are many of the weapons on this list.

#5 Buster Sword - Ask a lot of people what the most vivid image representing Final Fantasy VII is, and you will hear this mentioned at least 7 times out of 10. The first sword that Cloud Strife dons is the most memorable. Sure, in the grand scheme of the game, it is nowhere near the most powerful weapon in the game. Hell, by the time you get out of Midgar, you might already have a more powerful sword. Still, its a hallmark of this treasured game!

Next week, you'll get to see #s 4-2. Hope you enjoy these next three, and I'd love to hear your comments and opinions!

I got inspiration for this next series of blogs from my buddy @TheKungFool. He created a top 10 list of the trends in gaming that annoy him the most. While this one is not a rant like his, I do think it will be a lot of fun making the list. Each week, I will reveal 3 melee weapons that are the best gaming has to offer in order of my personal opinion of them. These weapons will come from FPS, action, and adventure games alike. On the fourth week, I will reveal the #1 weapon (yeah, you gotta wait a full week for just one weapon)

#10 Simon Belmont's Whip - Sure, other games have featured a bull whip as a weapon, but none are nearly as cool as Dracula slayer Simon Belmont's Holy Whip. Forget wooden stakes, passed down through eachgeneration of Belmont clan member, this blessed death-bringer was the only thing strong enough to kill the mother of all vampires.

#9 Gordon Freeman's Crowbar - Simple, yet effective...the Half-Life protagonist Gordon Freeman has reminded many a headcrab to not piss off a physicist with a crowbar.

#8 Master Sword - A hallmark of Link's quest to defeat Ganon(dorf) and save Princess Zelda since 1985, this sacred blade has been kept everywhere from the Temple of Time to the Lost Woods. Already an upgrade to the sword you start out with at the beginning of the game, it was sometimes necessary to power up further to take down the Big Bad and save the day.

That's all for now, faithful readers, a small teaser of what's to come on my personal list of best melee weapons to be found in video games.