What the heck is today's blog post title talking about? Well, notice anything different?

Last year's banner, while still packin' the awesome factor with Zack Fair and a moomba, was getting outdated as far as my current gaming was concerned. If I could think of a decent idea for a FFXII-themed banner, I would have made it (or at least tried to). But I couldn't think of anything. So, I decided upon my second choice. To all of my friends who already have Nathan Drake-inspired banners, trust me when I say I'm not copying you. Now that I've experienced the awesome of Nathan Drake's adventuring myself, I felt it was a great idea to celebrate the awesome games with a new awesome profile banner for me. Not to mention, I love how it looks like Nathan Drake is looking down at my blog like, "what is this??? I have got to check this out." lol 8)

I've only played about two hours of Uncharted 2, but I've already learned a few things:

• I love the game, even though it's the first third-person shooter I've ever played, let alone owned. I didn't even know it was a third-person shooter, honestly, until I realized how much gunplay there is in the game. Gamespot cl@ssifies the game as a modern action adventure, which to me, doesn't read as "third-person shooter", but whatever. The game's gold. The music reels you in, the stellar voice acting reels you in even further with its authenticity, the graphics and special effects are very realistic, and the story itself - again, only two hours in - is incredible. I love looking for the hidden treasures, too. Like, here's this excellent game with a great story, cast of characters, and gameplay elements, but then there's this game-long sidequest of keeping a watchful eye at all times, in the midst of all the action, to find the little "shiny spots". Even this is interesting, because you never know what the treasure's going to be and Naughty Dog was awesome enough to show you exactly what you've found...and give it a fun name, too. :)
• A new copy of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is destined to come into my possession in the near future. Even though it's a "prequel" to Uncharted 2, I know I'm going to want more after I beat Uncharted 2. It's just so easy to like the character of Nathan Drake, not to mention become immersed in his adventures. I was not expecting the game to play as it does. As many of you already know, it's very cinematic, on purpose. You're not just sitting around watching a cutscene; you're playing through it. To a spectator, it'd totally be watching a movie, except your buddy's playing through it for your entertainment, heheh.
  
• Cursing, when not just thrown about just for the heck of it, is fantastic in a game. Case in point, Uncharted and Uncharted 2. I've experienced some of UC2's occasional humor already, but I did check out some gameplay footage from Uncharted and I have to say, really funny **** right there! The dialogue just makes me laugh out loud, and the cursing just makes it better for me. I've never owned a single game ever that has featured cursing in any capacity (unless you count Barret's occasionally "cussing" in FFVII). So it's at once shocking AND awesome.
  
• Naughty Dog is a brilliant game developer. As far as I know, they've created only three series: Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, and Uncharted. It impresses me beyond all measure that each time they start a new series, it starts off with an amazing first game, only gets better after that), and earns critical acclaim and a huge fanbase. Not every developer can say that they've earned this achievement.
  
• Clearly, my taste in games is changing. Buying a PS3 has given me the opportunity to explore games I don't think I'd have considered at all even a few years ago. This is really exciting for me.

Well, that's it for now. I apologize in advance for any strange wording or typos; I'm typing this while half-watching the Survivor finale. :D