67000 posts read - exactly!

Random number, but how often do you come across a perfect 1000s?

So here I am in Bangalore, India: land of high elevation and boiling heat. This, as you would imagine, is very different from Michigan where the seasons are distinctly seperated into freezing season, allergy season, random weather season, and construction season. So as I said in my first blog (if you managed to read it all), left Michigan on June 11th and I will be heading to the airport tomorrow to land back in Detroit on July 1st. It's weird though, I leave at 2AM on the 1st and reach the U.S. at 1PM on the 1st. 16 hours of flying + 3 hour waiting in Frankfurt = 11 hours passed. Weird.

My time spent here hasn't really been put to good use. I wanted to spend more time excercising but that didn't happen; spent more time sitting on my be, browsing through this site, facebook, and ultimate-guitar.com. When I'm not on the web, I play FFVIII on my laptop (yay emulators!). We did a lot of travelling (which included two more dreaded plane flights) and that became tiring after some time. During the travelling part of the trip (plane/car), I was able to finally finish FFVII: Crisis Core. I SHOULD NOT have saved my finish data over the previous data. Now I have to get all the way back to the end to fight that Behemoth I saw behind that gate AND all my missions completed reset which sucks.

So it looks like most people have finished MGS4, while I have yet to start it. My friend who picked up my copy isn't helping as he keeps threatening to put it in the toilet if I don't come home soon. What's worse? A week ago, friend messages me just to tell me he bought a PS3 and loves MGS4. They are not letting me forget! I can't wait to take you all in MGO.

Send me your PSN ID if you play it a lot. This summer I'll be on a lot in afternoons and late night. See you on the forums and on PSN!

Note of the Day: Did you know that I made the user name LexTexRex when I was six?

What's going on gamers? Summer has finally arrived; children are out of school and games are slowly filling up stores' shelves. When I buy games, I look for quality no matter what type of game it is. This summer looks to be a good one for gamers who are looking for some quality games as some will be released in the coming months. There are a few games I am personally looking forward to and I thought I would take a little time to tell you my personal top five games that I'm waiting for this summer. So let me begin my countdown...

5). Ninja Gaiden II (X360)

Okay, so some of you may have checked my profile and seen that I don't actually own a 360. So? You know what grinds my gears? Where does it say in the Bible a man can't enjoy a little 360 action at a friend's house playin as a super ninja running here and there and what-not beaten on some crazy monsters? Well I don't know, 'cause the book is way too long to read (joke, some of you may know where that's from). I had played the original Xbox version on my brother's 360 before he sold the 360 some time ago. It was an amazing game so those of you who experienced Sigma may understand how cool the game was. The game didn't really create something new since there's always been ninjas in games, and there's always been hack-and-slash games (even the main character came from another game) but this is the most refined and polished game of either type. Ninja Gaiden II doesn't seem to have changed the formula up much at all compared to the first which is perfectly fine. The game is set to be released June 3rd so to all of those impatient to get this game, practice your killer moves with those swords laying around in your basement. For the normal people, play through the first one again (definitely play the first one if you haven't already played it yet and are planning to buy the second game).

4). Top Spin 3 (PS3/360/Wii/DS)

I do have a sports game on my list! I'm a tennis player so there is that little bias in me to appreciate a tennis game. However, I only appreciate games of higher calibur. I played the original Top Spin when it first came out on the original Xbox. After viewing a few trailers on this and learning more about it. It's compared a lot to the Virtua Tennis series. This game however seems to have an edge over Virtua Tennis 3 however. The best addition to the series is the fact that there is now ONLINE PLAY! First tennis game to do so, I believe. They have also made the players play and act similiar to how they do in real life. Shot power is now determined by how long you hold a certain button before you release after reaching the ball. Of course, the gameplay is slowed down by a slight fraction as it would pretty hard to play the game if it was at realistic speed. Overall, they have made major improvements in terms of graphics gameplay. Though I will be picking this up for the PS3, all 3 current consoles and the DS are recieving this game on June 23rd. Hopefully, this game doesn't keep me from playing any real tennis.

3). SoulCalibur IV (PS3/360)

Ah, the glory of another fighting game. I love fighting games. I have played Soul Calibur 1 and 2 on the Dreamcast and PS2, respectively. I've only played a little of the third in the series, so hopefully I will see some great features in this new release (or is it final?). I believe this series became popular for its implementation of weapons in battle. Most fighting games are hand to hand which feature different martial arts. This game shows us, on the other hand, the art of weapons, though some may just be made up (what the **** is Voldo doing?!?). In case you didn't know, the PS3 will include Darth Vader and the 360 will include Yoda from the Star Wars series. This series has been great so far so why won't this one? This game is to be released July 29th.

2). The Bourne Conspiracy (PS3/360)

Most movie-based games don't turn out too well, even the ones based on more recent ones such as Spider-Man 3 and Iron Man. However, this game will be a definte pick-up for me. I've given the demo a few runs through and was happy with what I experienced. The game looks pretty smooth and plays decent. The best parts about this game is how well the game switches between gun-fights and hand to hand combat and the special takedowns which vary depending what are next to. The camera does a good job with giving you that adrenaline rush and the combat has the same feel of impact like in the movies. Some of you may or may not be pleased with the fact that they didn't base Jason Bourne's model off of Matt Damon. He's a decent actor but I'm sort of happy they didn't go with his model. By not using his model, it tells me that the developers don't want this game to just be a replica of the movie. With the countless takedowns, it gives the game a more open feel in terms of plot while still delivering a solid and structured story. This game will be released June 3rd.

1). Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)

Do I have to explain why this will be a good game? In case you just got into gaming, and don't know what Metal Gear Solid is, it is a stealth game foremost. You try to sneak around here and there without letting guards notice you, or you wipe them out before they let anyone else know you are present. So in other words, you can accomplish the mission many ways depending on how you prefer. You can make it through the game without ever killing anyone or if you so trully desired, slit everyone's throat. The series has evolved by adding more features such as adding the use of camoflauge and holding enemies hostage, asking them to spill the beans / call off alarms etc. What has remained constant, however, is the amazing story given by Kojima. The games make good use of real historic events and throw in some conspiracies, which may even make you strongly rethink about the world we live in. The game also includes the starter pack for Metal Gear Online so that will be a special extra. This game will be the first to make use of (and even fill) a dual-layered Blu-ray disc which holds approximately 50GB each. I have already paid for the game in full, so my friend will be there to pick it up for me when it arrives on June 12th. I won't be in the country at the time, so I will not be able to enjoy this until July. I cannot see anyone not having fun with this game.

So that is my top five countdown for the summer. You may notice the games vary completely from one another so there's a chance that you will pick up at least one of these titles depending on your preference. I hope you enjoy your summer, and you should expect my review on some of these titles I just mentioned later and more on games that I am looking forward to playing that are arriving during autumn. See you in the forums!

- Vic

Note of the Day: Did you know my first name spelled backwards is Mark IV? (Vikram > Mark IV) Crazy isn't it?

Hello Gamespot users! My name's Vikram and I live in Battle Creek, MI. Currently, I'm 19 years old and I love gaming (of course). I've been a Gamespot member for a while now, so I thought I might as well start making some blogs. I figured for my first post, why not I just introduce myself and my gaming life as a start.

The first system I owned was a Sega Genesis when I was a kid; many of you may remember those glorious days. One of my friends had shown me a Sonic game, so I wanted to pick one up myself. While at the no longer existing Toys 'R' Us in our city, I was deciding between getting Sonic The Hedgehog or Sonic The Hedgehog 2. I decided on Sonic 1 because the cover had 3 rings in the background while there weren't any on the Sonic 2 cover (shut up, I know that's a stupid reason, but who didn't like collecting as many shiny things in a game when you were a kid? :P) Days went on, and I pretty much bought and conquered every Sonic game for the Genesis (yes, ALL the emeralds)... except for Sonic 2: I just never bought it. Other fun games I had on the Genesis included Toejam & Earl 1 & 2, Gunstar Heroes (amazing), Primal Rage, and countless others. Being Indian (not Native-American) I was put under the harsh rules starting Day 1 that I could only play video-games on weekends including Friday. Well, at least I think thats something most Indian parents would do. That was a killer for me back then, since all my friends were under no such policy. I was active during the week with tennis and Tae Kwon Do anyways, so I guess it wasn't that bad. But were any of you ever put under something like that?

I eventually got a Game Gear; a handheld ahead of its time with both color and a lit up screen (Gameboys didn't have both features until 2003 with the Gameboy Advance SP, 12 years after the Game Gear came out). However, it was bulky so you looked like a fool trying to fit it in your pocket and it drained 6 AA batteries like it was nothing. Eh, it was okay; I only had a few games. That's all.

Of course, my friends had to go the other way and buy Super Nintendos. We would play Super Mario World often, however they were sweet and it would be like two hours before I could take Luigi out for a spin. And since I sucked, that would literally last 4 seconds as I would run into some stupid flying wombat or whatever. Of course, they later bought N64s, which kept us glued to the TV with Star Fox, Mario Kart, Goldeneye, and one of the greatest multiplayer games to ever come out: Super Smash Bros. I never owned one, but I didn't miss out on the experience.

Months later, I saw commercials for what was called a "Playstation". "Haha, what a stupid name! Sounds like some play area at a mall," is what I thought when I first saw it. Little did I know that eventually I would really want one and would recieve one for Christmas. So that all happened. Probably one of my best years of gaming. Countless games existed: The Spyro / Crash series, Jet Moto Series, big hitters Final Fantasy VII and VIII. I owned the most games for this console.

For a short time, I owned a Dreamcast, after making the biggest mistake of my life by selling my PSX and all the games. The Dreamcast, to me, was a big step in gaming; had a lot of really great games like Power Stone 1 & 2, Soul Calibur, Sonic Adventure 1 & 2, Crazy Taxi series, Hydro Thunder, and the now over $100 for used Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. I sort of bought it when it was in its dying stage. It was the first to have internet, but that didn't really go anywhere.

So I made a second mistake of selling that for a Nintendo GameCube not because the Dreamcast was better, but I got almost no money for the Dreamcast, the games, and the accessories. It came to a little more than $50 if I remember correctly. I bought a few good games like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, Pikmin, Spider-Man, and of course, Super Smash Bros. Melee (Small fact: Immediately after buying SSMB, I looked up the word "Melee" so I wouldn't feel stupid playing a game with a word in the title I didn't know). Somewhere during this time I bought a Gameboy Advance. *Game Gear covered in dust turns on after a long time and displays its hit list... with "Gameboy Advance" the only name displayed*. I bet you're all looking at me right now like this > :|:question: Best games on it are Megaman Battle Network Series (#2 had the best story of them all) and Fire Emblem. Golden Sun was pretty good too.

I eventually bought a used PS2, this time not selling my GameCube (*phew*) All I can say is: "Many titles!" First game I bought for it, which was actually the reason I bought one, was Final Fantasy X. It was a great game. Shortly after, I bought Kingdom Hearts: I swear that commercial hypnotized so many people into buying it without showing any game-play footage! But of course, the game-play was amazing anyway so I'm not really angry at all. By the way, while on this note about RPGs, in case any of you come across my missing Star Ocean: Till the End Of Time, please PM me. I still haven't beaten the last boss yet and it's been like 2 years since I last played it. :( And somewhere during this time I got a PSP which I've hacked with a custom firmware for... you know... illegal things. :roll:

From then on, the order of things were pretty straight-forward. Bought Guitar Hero II > Reignited my like for guitar > Brought out my old guitar from the closet and practiced with that > Bought a 20GB PS3 during its 2nd wave of shipments hoping to sell it for much higher > decided to keep it > got better at guitar and sold Guitar Hero II to a friend along with the PS2 itself > I bought a better guitar AND MY FIRST PS3 GAME!!! :D Right now I have 13 PS3 games and a few PSN ones as well. Originally, I had that PS3 for almost a month and a half without a single game for it (I mean how many times can you play Talladega Nights over and over?) Thank god for PSN, as I was able to play some demos at least.

Now I'm done with my first year in college, currently on summer break. I work at a medical office where I go through people's medical insurances to see if the insurance company has finished covering the patient's bill (which usually they haven't) and other times I just type up prescriptions for patients that doctors order since, nothing against doctors but, they can't read their own handwriting (At least that's my reason). Soon I'll also be volunteering at a psychiatric clinic. I hope that turns out well. I'll be heading to India to visit family this summer on June 11th... Yes, to all you PS3 owners... I'm leaving the day before "IT" comes out. Luckily, I've got a friend that'll pick it up for me, but that could also be bad since he's still searching for my Tool CDs.

This is just a brief (or extensive, depending on how much you normally read) description on how I was raised in the ways of gaming and maybe it helps you judge the kind of gamer I am (though I guess, I wouldn't want you to judge me...). EDIT: Okay now looking back on it, this is freaking long. I'll keep it shorter next time. Well I'm signed onto PSN a lot so add me as a friend if you want to do some gaming, and I don't mind chatting on PSN either. It can be about whatever: games, music, food, guitar. Why not tell me about yourself?

And that is my first post! Hopefully, it helped you reminisce about your own gaming life. Next time I'll actually talk more about the games than myself. See you at the forums!

- Vic

Note of the Day: Did you know that the banner for my profile was made entirely from Microsoft Powerpoint?