Hey everyone! Last time I blogged I told you all that I applied for a couple of jobs. Well I didn't want to jinx anything, but i've been to 2 interviews with best buy and tomorrow I start training! :D Its only a part time job at this point, but I'll be working in the Home Theater department, selling tv's and such. Sounds pretty alright to me. :P

So just a short blog today, since I need to chill out today and get a good nights rest for my training tomorrow. Anyway thanks for reading and wish me luck! ;)

~Mike.

Hello everyone! I haven't been posting that much lately except on a couple of union I still frequent, but I thought it was about time for a quick blog. I'll be doing my "Best of E3" blogs over the weekend if I have time. Lately i've been doing some gaming, of course, mostly on my Xbox lately. I did sign up for Playstation Plus. Never thought I would, but when I saw Sony's E3 show and found out I could get these games: all for $17.99! Great deal for me since i've wanted to play these games for a while and they would cost over $200 bucks from gamestop. :?

-InFamous 2

-LittleBigPlanet 2

-Warhammer 40k: Space Marine

-Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One

-Virtue Fighter 5 Final Showdown

-And several other games.

Now onto my recent purchases. Yesterday I traded in 7 games at Gamestop and with their Tiered trade deal I was able to get $110.00 and change for all of them! I was able to get these.

Both Dead Island GOtY are paid off and i'll pick them both up on the 26th. Although i'm going to change my Spec OPS pre-order over to the PS3 version since I liked the demo better on PS3. I've spent enough money for now though. :P

So I guess that's it for the recent purchases the last thing is a life update. I was planning on going to school this fall, but its really dependant on whether or not I get another job. Some of you may know that i've been working for my dad for a long time now and i'll still be doing that part time, but things are slowing down I need to start saving money for college.

I've applied to Gamestop and Best Buy. I had a first interview with Best Buy this past Tuesday and it went well enough for me to get called back to a second interview with the general manager of the store next Tuesday. I would be working in the Home Theater or Video Game section, so i'd feel comfortable since I know a good amount about both. Still i'm keeping my fingers crossed and praying that I get the job, because I really need it. Not only for me, but for my family to.

Anyway guys that's all for me today. Wish me luck on the job hunt and i'llget my E3 blogs up as soon as possible. Thanks for reading. :)

~Mike :)

21, but keep reading!

Hey, guys! Hope everyone is doing well, I know its been a while since my last blog, but today I thought i'd start blogging again here and there. It won't be everyday like I used to, but its better than nothing right? Or maybe not........ :| Anyway today I thought I would update you all on some of the games i've been playing and will be playing in the coming weeks. Lets start with what i've been playing!

Just Finished:

Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360)

As you all should know by now I love the Mass Effect series. I just finished my third playthrough of Mass Effect 2 the other night. I wanted to go through and try to finish it without any of my crew dying, which I succesfully did. It took me around 30 hours to finish this time, bringing my total playtime with Mass Effect 2 to around 80-85 hours over 3 playthroughs. I won't bother describing the game since most all of you that would want to play it already have, but I personally love this game.

Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)

I'm not the biggest fan of the Gears games, but I do enjoy playing them. Having said that Gears of War 3 is definately the best in the series, and wraps up the story of Marcus Fenix and his crew nicely. I hate throwing the word "amazing" around, but the amazing co-op horde mode is the best part of the game. The campaign is great and lengthy, but the co-op is where its at. Surprisingly enough I did not like the multiplayer, granted I never have been a fan of Gears multiplayer, but I found it to be extremely un-balanced and lends to much to spawn camping to be any fun. Still, its a fantastic game from start to finish, with amazing co-op, and multiplayer that require an aquired taste.

Army of Two (Xbox 360)

I admit I wasn't expecting much from Army of Two, seeing as I heard awful things about it and it was only $2.00 at my gamestop. Still I got it hoping for a decent game. Well what I got was an extremely flawed game that could have been better with co-op. This game was built with co-op in mind, but since the servers were taken down (wonder why :roll: ), I had to soldier through alone with the terrible A.I. partner. The game's story is trash, the dialouge is terrible, characters are forgettable, and its incredibly racist on top of it. However I did have some fun laughing at the game, so I guess it wasn't all bad. :P

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (Xbox 360)

Now I have heard some atrocious things about this game since it released. From some of my favorite review sites I was hearing "Worst game of 2012" and " Steaming Pile of trash that Capcom should feel bad about having they're name on", still I found it for half price so I decided to get it. After playing through the campaign and playing some of the versus I can safely say that it is a decent game. It has the worst A.I. i've ever seen in a video game, its plauged with technical and graphically issues, the dialouge is as cheesy as ever, and the hit detection is spotty at best. Still it has a certain charm and a cool vibe to it that I just really enjoyed. As i've stated, it has tons of issues and I would have been really disappointed if I got it day one, but now that I waited I was able to enjoy it, quirks, issues and all.

InFamous: Festival of Blood (PS3)

I got Festival of Blood early this year, but never got around to finishing it. I finished it today and I can honestly say I really enjoyed it. Definately one of the best downloadable games for $10 bucks or under. There a great amount of space to explore, devistating powers to unlock and work towards, great atmoshpere that fits perfectly with the setting and theme, and the best part? It never feels repetitive! That has been my biggest complaint with the first InFamous game and this one solved that problem. Overall, great downloadable game that offers a nice amount of content and variety.

Games Finished From 1/1/2012 to 5/29/2012: 21

Now Playing:

Mass Effect 3 (Xbox 360)

I just started playing it, after owning it for after almost 2 months. I really kind of forgot about it, but now that i've started it i'm hooked. After being severely disappointed with the demo, Bioware seems to have adressed all the issues and at this point it feels like i'm playing a completely different game. Which is a good thing.

Dragon's Dogma

I haven't played a lot of Dragon's Dogma yet, but what I have played I like. It takes a lot from Dark Souls and Skyrim except, the combat maintains its own identity. It doesn't feel like any game really, its just Dragon's Dogma, which is really refreshing for the RPG genre. I plan on playing a bit more of it tonight and i'll make sure to blog about this game all alone to give you all my thoughts on the game.

Dead Nation (PS3)

You wanna kill some zombies? You like top down shooters? Do you like co-op? Then I have a feeling you would really like this game. I've played through the first few chapters and I have to say its probably my favorite top down shooter this gen. Its not perfect and its certainly not easy, but a great upgrade system and fun combat make the game addictive and fun.

Games That are on the Way: Max Payne 3 and Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time.

I'm really looking forward to getting a hold of Max Payne 3, but i've already got such an enormous backlog of games to play through. Max Payne 3 will be top of my list once it comes in the mail. *runs to the mailbox*

Well guys that's all for me today. Hope you all enjoyed this little update blog. I'll be back next time with my thought on Dragon's Dogma, Mass Effect 3, and Max Payne 3. Until then, take it easy guys. :)

-Mike.

Hello everyone! Just a quick blog to let you all know that I have met in end to my teenage years today. What i'm reffering to,of course, is that today I turned 20!! It honestly doesn't feel much different than being 19, but I guess it has its advantages, right? Probably not, but now I think i'm rambling. Or maybe i'm not, but before I go i'll share with you all what I got for my 20th. B-day. :)

The case and contents look incredible, and I even liked this version over the original Swedish version, which if you all remember was my favorite film from 2010, so that's saying a lot!

Unfortunately I didn't get it on Blu-Ray, but i've been waiting a long time to see this!

Blunderbuss by Jack White. I need to thank @Roman_Irishman for posting this the other day on a union I post on. I looked up a few songs and fell in love with it. Its an incredible album.

I've been wanting to read these books for a long time now, evidently so has my mom, cause she already stole the first book from me. :lol:

I was also given some money from my grandparents for work clothes and a $50 Visa gift card from my neighbor.

These were also an early b-day present.

All Superhero movies these days have been pretty awesome, but for me none of them beat Cap! It looks and sounds so amazing in Blu to!

I've heard so many bad things about this game, but in my personal opinion its a fantastic RPG with one of the best battle systems i've ever had the pleasure of using. So far I've played it just over 8 hours in a couple of night and I can honestly say i'm completely hooked!

Well that's everything I think. Its about 2:00 a.m. here so i'm going to bed. :P Thanks for reading everyone. :)

~Mike.

Hey guys, last night I was playing Battlefield 3 with a friend of mine and a thought popped into my head. More of a question than a thought, but still I felt it was interesting enough to be put into "blog" form. So lets get to it. :D

Today's Thought: Achievements/Trophies and They're Affect on Video Games.

Some people love achievements and trophies and others hate them. Some wish there wasn't even a trohpy or achievement system. I am not one of those people. I have my reasons for liking achievements and trophies. Are they necessary? No they aren't, but they do give players a reason to play a game more than once or different ways. I can't deny that I love that little "bing" when I get a trophy or an achievement, but one thing I do have a problem with is when you get them for no reason. Getting an achievement for getting a certain number of kills is nice, but when you have to get an achievement for killing 52,000+ enemies and its only worth 20GS it feels like an unecessary waste of time.

Bad Example of Achievements/Trophies: Dead Rising 2's 52,000+ Zombie kill achievement, Gears of Wars 2's Seriously 2.0 achievement (100,000 kills), and Modern Warfare 2's 69 Star Trophy. :x

Good Example of Achievments/Trophies: Mass Effect 3's Master and Commander Trophy, Deus Ex:Human Revolution's Pacifist Achievement, Alan Wake's Bright Fall's Afficianado Achievement.

These are just some of the good and bad examples of trophies and achivements. All good trophies and achievements force players to make tough choices, play a game a completely different way, or soak up more information than you would in a normal playthrough of a game. Bad trophies and achievements force players to repeat a reptitive tasks such as killing enemies, or replaying levels on a harder difficulty.

Final Thoughts: Trophies and Achievements can be a lot of fun to get and fun to play for, but others can be just plain boring. In the end I don't expect this to change people's minds about achievements and trophies, but people who don't like them should at least read this and understand that some players enjoy being rewarded for playing they're games. I am one of those people and I will love achievements and trophies as long as I play games. We don't need them, sure, but its fun to get them, and gives me more ways to play a game and that's why I like them.

Well I hope you all enjoyed this blog. I kinda felt rushed while I was typing it so forgive me if some things don't sound right or there's a spelling error here or there. Anyway let me know what you all thought and thanks for reading. :)

~Mike :D

Hello everyone. As you all know I have not been blogging regularly for some time now, but the blog I wrote the other day got me in the mood to write/type some more. :P So i'm going to "attempt" (no promises here) to try and do a daily blog about different gaming issues or just a random thought that pops into my head about a certain game as i'm playing through it. Hence the title, "Gaming Thought of the Day"! This should be interesting. :P

Today's Thought: Is Dark Souls Actually Hard?

I am an absolute fan of Demon's Souls. Punishing difficulty and all. Everything from the level design to the horrifying bosses had me drawn in from the beginning. Dark Souls is exactly the same, except its much harder, or is it? Dark Souls is a game that is about learning from your mistakes and overcoming them toachieve your goals. Your goals are to make it to the end of an area and kill the horrifying boss that waits for you. Enemy design and the environments are again the highlights in this game, but the difficulty also returns. This is where I get to my point.

Dark Souls is not a HARD game.

Yeah I said it, the game that has caused most gamers to give up on gaming is not hard. At least not in a normal sense of the word. Dark Souls does not give players enough tools to succeed in the early goings of the game. Instead of being hard Dark Souls decides to punish you with unfairness, (if that's even a word) and cheap enemies. In the first few hours of the game your are so underpowered compared to your enemies that you'll find it hard to push on. 20 hours in and i'm still having moments of doubt as to whether i'll finish it or not. I will finish it, but when an enemy kill you from behind a wall not once, but several times you'll start seeing nothing but Red, until you take that Dark Souls disc out and snap it in half in a fit of rage. The gameplay is nothing more than trial and error and you need to take your time. you can die 20 times facing the same boss by trying to russ, or you can take your time and kill him the first time. It may take you a half hour, but you will succeed. There is no doubt in my mind that if you don't let the game scare you anyone can complete it, but gamers that rush will be murdered over and over and over again.

Final Thoughts:

I'll say it again and again till i'm red in the face. Dark Souls is not a hard game. It is an unfair game. Its a game of pure trial and error, but without all the unfair moments that it deals it wouldn't be so hard. Anyone can play Dark Souls and everyone can beat Dark Souls. Everyone has hyped the difficulty to incredible porportions, when the only thing standing in your way from victory is yourself.

Answer to the Question: "Is Dark Souls Actually Hard?" Unless your count its constantly unfair moments, the answer is absolutely not. Its not hard, but it is challenging and that's all i'll say about it.

So that's my gaming thought of the day. Hope you all enjoyed this (feel free to let me know if you did or didn't or if I need to change anything), even if it is a departure from what I normally do. Anyway, thanks for reading and I should be back tomorrow!!

~Mike. :)

Hello everyone. I know I haven't blogged in quite a while, but I thought while i'm sitting at home feeling sick that I would post a little update blog on what i'm playing these days. I had originally planned on doing a "Now Playing" blog every week as I was going to start a finish a new game every week this year. Instead i've started some odd 20 games at this point and have yet to finish any of them. :? I won't post all of them, just the ones i've been playing lately. So here's a look at some of the games i've been playing and my thoughts.

Dark Souls (PS3)

A few weeks ago I wrote a review after my completion of Demon's Souls and stated that Demon's Souls was the most brutal game I had ever played. I was wrong. Dark Souls is the single hardest game I have ever played. Its not that the enemies are smarter or that the level design isn't as good as ever, its mostly due to the unforgiving nature of the very beginning of the game. Its like From software got together and decided to punish returning players by making the game impossible for some players in the early goings of the game. You won't know what I mean until you actually play the game and as hard as it is, I recommend it to anyone that wants a challenge. Just be warned, that this game is not for the faint of heart.

MLB 10: The Show (PS3)

The exact opposite of Dark Souls, MLB 10: The Show is just pure fun. Sure its a couple year old by now, but all that really changes with these games is the rosters, which i'm fine with. Its honestly one of the best baseball sims i've played and it still looks fantastic.

MLB 2K11 (Xbox 360)

As you can probably tell i'm a pretty big baseball fan. 2K11 is definately a marked improvement over previous games (especially the disatrous 2K9), but not everything is great. Player models don't look good at all, gameplay is still a little glitchy at times, and the My Player mode, isn't nearly as good as The Show's "Road to the Show" mode. Still its a better game than previous outings by the 2K franchise and an all round fun baseball sim.

Far Cry 2 (Xbox 360)

Far Cry 2 is a game i've played before and decided out of impulse alone to buy and play it again. Its still a great game albeit some major annoyances (road blocks get annoying after about an hour of play). It all still looks pretty great even if it is a few years old and i'm not playing it on a pc. Still all in all its a fun game and although it gets a bad rap I still enjoy it.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (PS3)

Let me just get this out. I haven't been good at fighting games since Street Fighter II on arcades. I'm still no good at fighting games, but I still love them. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is an incredible game, from the art ****to the character roster, to the animation of the characters moves. It also the most fun i've had with a game in a while.

Modern Warfare 2 (PS3)

I really try to keep from getting games again, but MW2 was a small impulse buy. Its still a great game and luckily I got through my Veteran playthrough without much trouble and the single player campaign is just as fun as ever. Unfortunately the online multiplayer is hacked pretty bad in a few game modes and it doesn't come off as fun most of the time, but I mostly got it for the single player and spec ops anyway. :P

Bioshock 2 (PS3)

One of these days I should really review Bioshock 1&2. The first game is one of my all time favorites and when compared to it, the second seems disappointing. When compared to the myriad of other shooters on the market its a triumph. The gameplay is as amazing as ever and the dual wielding certainly feels better than the first games combat. The story took a bit of a hit, but its still more enjoyable and better than most games out there today. Bioshock 2 doesn't soar to the same highs that the first game did, but its still an immersive and beautiful game that's as fun to play as it is disturbing.

That's pretty much what i've been playing off and on for a while now. I'm enjoying every single one them to, except for Dark Souls. :x :P Thanks for reading everyone.

~Mike. :)

So last night I finally finished what I consider to be one of the hardest games i've played in my life. And its an experience so unforgettable that I just had to review it. So here it is. :)

Demon's Souls Review

Demon's Souls will challenge and brutalize you, but if you can push forward your in store for one of this generation's most rewarding and unique gaming experiences.

Story:

The world was once victim to a previous scourge of Demons in an ancient past before King Allant came to the throne. The Old One, an entity of unfathomable power, had awakened the bane of existence into the world, unleashing terrible Demons that ripped the land asunder, consequently exterminating half of humankind. Those that would become the Monumentals sought to spare the land from further harm, and combined with their knowledge of Soul Arts, returned the Old One back to its slumber. To divide the lands amidst different regions and to return life to where there was none, they ordered Archstones be constructed and placed throughout the world, all of which were connected to a central Archstone used for inter-regional travel.

Amidst the realm of reality and death exists a place known as the Nexus, a hub for the souls whom traverse the ethereal worlds hoping to reclaim their bodies. Below the Nexus sleeps the Old One, offering the promise of limitless prosperity to any that gives him or herself up to it. King Allant the XII of Boletaria dreamed of bringing eternal wealth to his mighty kingdom, and thus gave himself wholly to the Old One's will, awakening it from its long slumber. Prosperity did not befall Boletaria, but instead the colorless fog of chaos and calamity blanketed the lands, and those still living were soon no longer among the sane.

The many former-citizens of Boletaria once prayed to God to grant them divinity in life. Among the most notable figureheads of the Kingdom's parish were Saint Urbain, a highly respected man of great spiritual knowledge and an abundance of faith, and the Sixth Saint Astraea, a divine Maiden worshipped for her purity. Urbain's followers revered him as being in direct communion with God, and through him they believed His message was delivered. It is Urbain's belief that the Demons were placed into Boletaria, and the fog consumed the Kingdom, as a test from God, and that all must use His miracles to banish the soul-thirsty horde.

Surprisingly there isn't a whole lot of depth to the main story, but luckily there is a deep back story within each of the five worlds you will explore. Initially the story may not make any sense to you, but as you finish each of the worlds you will piece together a disturbing and utterlly engrossing back story, that ranks up there with the best stories in gaming.

In all there are five worlds in total to explore, each with three demon bosses to defeat. The worlds are: The Palace of Boletaria, The Shrine of Storms, The Tower of Latria, The Valley of Defilement, and Stonefang Tunnel. Each world is incredibly unique and disturbing, for example The Valley of Defilement, is a home for the abused and neglected citizens of Boletaria. Its found out later that it was also used as a dumping ground for aborted children that were unwanted by their parents. Its disturbing revalations like this, that make this game incredibly disturbing yet completely engrossing.

Gameplay:

The gameplay in Demon's Souls is one of its greatest strengths. The controls are difficult to grasp at first, but after hours of practice and numerous deahts you will finally master them. This is where the game succeeds, because it gives you all the tools to master its gameplay, but still expects you to put the work in to master them. The combat is excellent with an insane amount of depth rarely seen in any game today. There are several different clas*es to chose from at the start of the game and each of them has their own specific attack patterns and abillities. This makes for a lot of choice in the way you play the game. I personally chose the Royalty clas* and chose to use magic and axes for my playthrough. It really works, so long as you continue to put more souls into your specific stats. You can still become any type of player you want to be, but it helps to specialize in a certain area, or you'll have problems later.

"Meet The Dragon God, he doesn't like you"

Overall the gameplay is precise, weighty, and perfectly tuned. Its not an easy game to learn how to play, but once you learn there isn't a game with better gameplay and controls out there.

Graphics:

Demon's Souls being a PS3 exclusive helps it a lot. It may have come out a few years ago, but its still an incredible looking game. It looks great from a technical perspective with detailed amour and bosses that look as incredbile as they are menacing. What really makes it an amazing looking game is the art styl*, it oozes creativity and makes you want to explore it grotesque world. Levels like the Tower of Latria and Valley of Defilement are incredible from an artistic perspective and are some of the most disturbingly realized worlds of ever seen in video games. Every world is unique and has its own look, with absolutely none of the environments being repeated.

"The whole game looks this good, and that's a cutscene"

Demon's Souls has some of the most disturbing, grotesque, and horrifying worlds ever seen in a video games and it really offers a lot of variety in the graphics. Its not only a fantastic looking game from a technical perspective, but its also some of the most amazing art design you will ever see.

Value:

Demon's Souls is a long game. I spent over 50 hours in just my first playthrough, and the fact that you can continue on multiplae times with a new game + only adds to the time you can put in. Its a cheap game now and honestly one of the best valued games you can buy for under twenty dollars. For people that can get into the game you can easily spend hundreds of hours playing it. There isn't really much more I can say except that you'll spend a lot of time playing it and you will not regret spending the money to experience it.

Final Thoughts:

In my time with Demon's Souls I've died around 70 times, thrown my controller at my wall in frustration, and even contemplated taking the disc out and smashing it with a baseball bat. I love and hate this game. Its a contradiction, I know, but at the end of my time with Demon's Souls I experienced frustrating lows and glorious highs and a sense of accomplishment you can't find in any other game. Demon's Souls will punish you for your impatience, brutalize you for a wrong decision, and break your will as a gamer to the point where you won't want to push on. However, while its not a perfect game, its one of the greatest experiences you can hope to have in a game and its something you will never forget. This game is one of the greatest games of this generation and a game you simply have to experience in all its disturbing brilliance.

Scoring:

Story: 9.5/10

Gameplay: 9.5/10

Graphics: 9.5/10

Sound: 10/10

Value: 10/10

Overall Score: 9.8/10.

Note: *Scores are not an average*

Well to everyone one who finished reading it thanks for reading and please feel free to thumbs up the review if you liked it. :) Here's a link to my review.

Hello everyone. Today I am going to start finally finishing my 2011 awards. I did my Top 10 games last week, and today I will be doing my top music. There will only be 5 albums on my list today, as well as some other minor awards (Best song, Favorite band, and so on). I know its not what I had originally planned to do with my 2011 awards, but its getting into Feburary now, so its about time I wrapped things up. :P Lets start with some music. :)

Music:

Winners by Category:

Best Band: Darkest Hour

Best Song: Faust by The Human Abstract

Most Listened to Album: The Human Romance by Darkest Hour (124 times)

Most Listened to Song: Love As a Weapon by Darkest Hour

Most Surprisngly Good Album: Hats Off to The Bull by Chevelle

Most Disappointing Album: American Tragedy by Hollywood Undead

Favorite Genre: Tie: Melodic Death Metal and Metalcore

Best Album That Didn't Come Out this Year: A Snow Capped Romance by 36 Crazyfists

Coolest Music Video: Deliver Us by In Flames

Top 5 Albums of 2011:

#5- Hats Off To The Bull by Chevelle

Chevelle has always been kind of an average band to me. They havee some good stuff and some bad stuff, but for the first time, I listened to a Chevelle album that was awesome all the way through. That's what makes Hats Off to the Bull so great. There aren't any bad filler songs, just great song after great song and that's why it earns a spot in my top 5.

Favorite Song: Pinata

#4- The Hymn of A Broken Man by Times of Grace

What do you get when you take two former members of Killswitch Engage and they form their own band as a side project? You get one hell of a great album. There are some meh songs on it, but the other songs are just so awesome that they completely blur out the bad songs. Its a great album for any fan of metal.

Favorite Song: Hymn of a Broken Man

#3- Leveler by August Burns Red

Only some of you probably know this, but August Burns Red has quickly become one of my favorite bands ever and with Leveler they keep the good times coming. Every song on it is sure to get your blood pumping and your head banging. Even songs that veer a little bit off the beaten path for ABR (Internal Cannon) are amazing songs. Love the album art to. :P

Favorite Song: Internal Cannon

#2- Digital Veil by The Human Abstract

The saddest thing about putting this album so high on my list is that the band actually broke up shortly after its release. Besides that this is an excellent metalcore album with some of the most amazing guitar riffs and some of the coolest vocal work i've ever heard. Its a real shame the band broke up, but at least they went out with one of the best metal albums i've ever listened to and a song that was so good it won "Song of the Year".

Favorite Song: Faust

#1- The Human Romance by Darkest Hour

Now thanks, goes out to _Doomsayer_ for getting my into Darkest Hour. They have quickly become one of my favorite bands and this album is a huge reason why. I listened to this album 100+ times this year, and I can honestly say there isn't a bad song on it. Every song fits so well within the album, that it just begs to be listened to over and over again. Songs like "Savor the Kill" and "Wound" are some of my favorites and are songs I always go to, when I need to get pumped up. I'm sure i'll listen to this album even more in the coming years, but it was definately the best album to come out in 2011.

Favorite Song: Savor the Kill

So that's some of my favorite music from 2011 guys. Hope you all enjoyed it and hopefully listened to something you liked. :) Thanks for reading, and look for my Top 10 Movies of 2011 blog this weekend.

~Mike :)

Well guys, i've decided to take a different route with my game of the year blogs. Instead of having a runner up for ever category, i'm just going to run down a quick list of winners I chose for each category then give you all a full list of my 10 favorite games of the year for 2011. The "Top 10" games will be in order with #1 being my Game of the Year for 2011. I know its kind of a lazy approach, but I just don't have the time for doing it the way I planned to. :P So lets get started.

2011 Game of The Year Awards Winners:

Best Action Game: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Best FPS Game: Rage

Best Graphics (Technical): Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Best Graphics (Artistic): Rayman Origins

Best Downloadable Game: Bastion

Goriest Game: Dead Island

Best Game that Didn't Come Out This Year: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Most Surprisingly Good Game: Shadows of the Damned

Best Original IP: Dead Island

Best New Character: Adam Jensen (Deus Ex: Human Revolution)

Best RPG: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Best Console Exclusive: Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception

Best Xbox 360 Game: Gears of War 3

Best PS3 Game: Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception

Best PC Game: Portal 2

Best Sound Design: Shadows of the Damned

Best Soundtrack: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Best Atmosphere: Shadows of the Damned

Most Improved Sequel: Killzone 3

Best Story: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Most Disappointing Game: Brink

Best HD Ramake: Halo Combat Evolved: Anniversary

Best Co-op Multiplayer: Gears of War 3

Best Competitive Multiplayer: Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception

Best Boss Fights: Shadows of the Damned

Most Overlooked Game: Shadows of the Damned

Best Weapons: Killzone 3

Best Ending: Batman: Arkham City

Most Overrated Game: Resistance 3

Best Trailer: Deus Ex: Human Revolution E3 2011 Trailer

Most Memorable Moment: Tie: The Plane Sequence (Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception) Cave Johnson's Lemon Rant (Portal 2)

Now for My Top 10 Games of 2011.

#10- Bastion (Xbox Live Arcade, Steam)

I've yet to finish it, but downloadable games don't get any better than Bastion. Its drop dead gorgeous and fun to play with awesome combat and a great upgrade system. Add in the nex game + option and you have an amazing game that will last you 15-20 hours and you'll love every minute of it.

#9- Portal 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

I was not a fan of Portal or its sequel until I played them this year and now Portal 2 is a game I will never forget. Its inventive, makes you think, and its also the funniest game i've ever played. Cave Johnson's rant about Lemons was absolutely genius to boot.

#8- Dead Space 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

I have to admit that I could never get through the first Dead Space cause it just scared me so much. However Dead Space 2, while scary, was an amazing trip. Moody, suspenfull, and action packed from beginning to end, Dead Space 2 was one of the true gems from early 2011 and its something any gamer should play.

#7- Rage (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Some saw Rage as just another ordinary first person shooter, but I saw it as a return to form for id Software. I've been a fan of their games since I first played Doom over 10 years ago and Rage brought back the nostalgia for me. The gruesome, brutal combat, combined with some interesting characters and a gorgeous post appocalyptic setting made the game come to life and its someting I won't soon forget.

#6- Dead Island (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

2 hours into Dead Island I wasn't impressed at all. 30 hours later I was hooked. It may not have a story, that's good or characters that you can even remotely care about, but this is a game where the world and combat are so brilliantly executed that, that's all it needs to be a great game. sure it has its fair share of issues, but it never once hindered my enjoyment.

#5- Shadows of the Damned (Xbox 360, PS3)

Now Shadows of the Damned is by far the most underrated game on my list. Its seems as though Suda did a good job of scaring people out of playing this game, but for those who did they will find an incredibly atmospheric and creepy journey through hell that ranks up there in my favorites of all time. The sound design is also incredible and really helps sell the world and the atmoshpere. This is a trip to hell I will gladly take.

#4- Batman: Arkham City (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Confession time, I liked Arkham Asylum more than Arkham City. I also know that a lot of people on this site have given this game their Game of the Year, but I can't. I loved everything about Arkham City, from the story, to the combat, characters, and the incredible open world your thrown into. There is so much to do and see that its almost overwhelming at first, but soon you'll become completely addicted and engrossed in Arkham City grimy world. Only minor issues kept it from winning my Game of the Year this year, but its an incredible experience nonetheless.

#3- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Be prepared to lose countless hours of time as soon as you put Skrim into your disc drive. In the first week alone I put in 50 hours of time into Skyrim and now with my count reaching 70 hours I still haven't complete the main questline. Skyrim is an incredible game that takes everything about Oblivion and Fallout 3 and combines it to amazing effect, creating one of the biggest and most thrilling open world games of all time. For me it ranks right up there with Fallout 3 and it was the 4th. game ever to recieve a 10 out of 10 rating from me.

#2- Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Deus Ex: Human Revolution was one of my most anticipated games of 2011 and i'm pleased to say it more than lived up to any expectations I had for it. I loved every minute of my 25+ hour playthrough, and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Its world is influenced by one of my favorite movies ever, Blade Runner, and it shows. Its world is incredible and draws you in and never lets you go. The combat is also incredible with tons of choices for upgrading your skills and weapons, offering limitless options for combat. The only downside to this game is that there isn't a new game + option, but the rest of the package is so incredible that it doesn't matter in the least.

My 2011 Game of the Year.

#1- Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception (PS3)

After having played Uncharted 3 for 15 hours I can honestly say its one of the best games i've ever played. I didn't score it a 10 out of 10, but that doesn't mean it isn't incredible. In fact Uncharted 3 is nothing short of incedible. The combat is vastly improved over the first 2 games, the story is fantastic, the set pieces are awe inspriring, and each chapter offers one amazing moment after the next. I haven't even mention the co-op and mutiplayer yet. I thought the multiplayer was tacked on in Uncharted 2, but in the third game its just purely awesome. In a year crowded with games like Gears of War 3, Battlefield 3, and Modern Warfare 3 Unchated 3 tops them all in the mutiplayer category with an amazing balance of guns and a fantastic mix of great maps and fluid platforming. On the co-op side of things you have a horde like siege mode, which is my personal favorite, and a story based co-op adventure that you and two friends can play together. these modes are fleshed out extremly well and make the game worth buying for them alone. Uncharted 3 succeeds on all fronts with amazing multiplayer, a fantastic co-op made, and a brilliantly paced and amazing story driven campaign. You owe it to yourself as a gamer to play this game, cause if you don't your missing out on the Must Play Game of 2011.

And that's all! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed putting it all together. I'll be back for my favorite movies and music of 2011 next week, but for now my fingers are tired after 2 hours of typing. :P Have a great weekend guys and thanks for reading!

~Mike :)