I've been playing a lot of GTA IV for the past week, and its a really surperb game. But how this game got a 10 is ridiculous in my opinion. This is a great game......when it works.

I don't think any Xbox 360 game has crashed on me so many times. To give an example of the **** I have to deal, with: I invest two hours worth of gameplay before the game crashes on me, and when I reboot the game all that progress is gone. A big waste of time.

I don't know what's up with autosave, but I don't like it when I'm playing a game and I'm constantly praying that the game doesn't crash. It's stupid.

Honestly, this buggy mess could've been something extraordinary if these kinks were ironed out. Either its the game to blame or its Microsoft's ****ty hardware, but I'm gonna put my money on the game since I never had these problems with my other games.

The game has gone from a 9 game to an 8 game for me.

I'm playing Grand Theft Auto IV now, and I really like it. So far the story is interesting, but it hasn't been as compelling as I expected it to be so far. I'm still very early in the game though.

But the game is just plain fun, and easily one of the best games I've played in a long time. At just a few hours in, the game definitely fits in the 9 or above score range. Does it reach 10? The jury's still out on that one...for me at least. It does many things well, but doesn't do them exceedingly better than other games. The combat for one is a bit clunky for me.

A lot of fun, and I can't wait to play more.

In other news, I heard BG&E 2 was announced and I'm pretty happy about that. The first game had one of the strongest in-game narratives I've experienced, as well as some fantastic visual and audio design. I'm keeping my eye on it.

Other games down the pipeline that people seem to be talking about:

New Prince of Persia

I don't know, graphics look pretty interesting, but gameplay looks pretty similar. I'm not that excited for this one despite how I much I enjoyed PoP:SoT.

Mirror's Edge

First person running game, reminds me of parkour. Also kinda iffy for me, I mean I'm just kind of sick of all these FPS games. this ones a bit more unique, but I dunno

Haze

Generic FPS, not worth my time

Stuff I've Played:

Super Mario Galaxy

Got all 120 stars, I feel special I guess. This game was excellent, every moment playing it I thought to myself, "This is this is the most wonderful game imaginable." It was just very unique and fun. A little on the easy side, and doesn't feel quite as classic as Mario 64, but a great game nonetheless.

Apollo Justice

I love the Ace Attorney games, and this one lives up to its predecessors. Great writing, great gameplay, and great characters. The last case wasn't as epic as the last cases for the past three games, and that was a bit of a letdown though. But I like the new characters and look foward to more adventures with them in later games.

No More Heroes

A very interesting game, one whose strengths lie in it's very creative and interesting cast of characters. Very unpredictable and I liked that. The fighting was very cool and felt satisfying. The level design and overworld weren't so great sadly. I liked it, but it could've been better.

Super Smash Bros Melee

I just got into this a few months ago. At first it was confusing and seemed kinda dumb. But after getting used to the controls and developing fighting strategies, it clicked. I understood why this is such an immensely popular game: It's just plain fun and addictive. If I need a study break with my friends, this is the game we'd always play. My favorite character is Zelda.

Okami Wii

I'm playing this now and its a great game. I can see the inspiration it gets from Zelda, but the two are actually pretty different. I love the game's sense of humor and creative levels. The graphics get a lot of praise from people everywhere, but I'll be honest, sometimes the graphics annoy me by how colorful and intense it is. I sometimes get a headache from playing just because the visuals are so vibrant and alive. The brush mechanics can also be a pain sometimes, just because my inputs aren't recognized correctly all the time. I'd say the brush controls worked about 60% of the time for me. But overall, the story is fantastic and the gameplay is fantastic as well, but I do prefer Zelda: Twilight Princess more by a wide margin.

Stuff I want to play

Zack and Wiki

The Rumored Kid Icarus on Wii

Resident Evil 5

GTAIV

Too Human

Phoenix Wright 3

Apollo Justice

Zack and Wiki

Okami Wii

Mario Kart Wii

Smash Bros Brawl

No More Heroes

Super Mario Galaxy

Metroid Prime 3

Zack and Wiki

RE:UC ?

I now own a 360, Wii, and DS.

Pretty good combo of systems I say.

For the 360 I'm keeping my eye on:

• Halo 3
• Mass Effect
• Bioshock
• Assassin's Creed
• GTA IV
• Too Human
• Resident Evil 5
• Banjo-Threeie

For the Wii:

• Super Mario Galaxy
• Super Smash Bros Brawl
• Metroid Prime 3
• Resident Evil 4: Wii Ed
• Resident Evil: UC
• Manhunt 2

For DS:

• Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Since I loved Twilight Princess so much, I'll be playing through it again.

But I'm gonna make it artificially harder. I won't pick up any heart containers.

Zelda TP is truly an adventure. Link starts as a humble goat herder, and eventually becomes the hero of Hyrule. Midna is also kickass.

This was orginally a forum post. I don't think the thread will last very long, so I'm keeping my thoughts here.........so that I NEVER FORGET.

After beating Zelda TP, I have come to the realization that there is something wrong with the series.  From the surface this game gets everything right:  The best dungeons, the best bosses, a huge world, excellent pacing, and a great story.  I had so much fun playing it.  But why am feeling less satisfied than with the previous Zelda games?  Twilight Princess is technically is the best Zelda game.

The problem I think is with the formula itself. It has been overused to the point it fails to surprise.  The dungeon themes continue to be similar with each game (forest dungeon, fire dungeon, etc).  The boss battles reuse old techniques (ex: batting back and forth an energy ball).  And the combat system has evolved so little since OoT.

Point:  The Zelda formula needs a big change, gameplay-wise.

Here's what I think should happen:

1. Z-targeting and one-button sword combos must go.  With the Wiimote there is a potential for real interactive swordplay.  I would rather have a few enemies that take skill to fight than a million total pushovers.  Lack of targeting also forces you to actually aim your bow.
2. Dungeon,Boss,Heartpiece,Dungeon,Boss,Heartpiece, etc etc.  This pattern of progression needs to change.  I think dungeons should be scrapped altogther.  Instead, take the excellent puzzle designs and just disperse it all through Hyrule, as if the world was one huge dungeon.
3. Boss battles could happen anywhere.  You may be riding along Epona, then suddenly a giant monster jumps out and you are forced to fight.  Or you're in a town and out of the ground a monster pops out.  This keeps you constantly on guard.
4. Seasons. As you play, the weather changes.  I seriously want to see Hyrule in the winter.
5. Here's a crazy idea.  Get rid of the current health meter. Also no more hearts that can be found in pots and grass. Instead, Link has a life meter that slowly declines, even if he does nothing.  The ONLY way to restore health.......is to eat and drink.  Link can purchase food and carry it with him, or find it in the wild.

first blog post on GS.

I want to own The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.