I did this review . I think its a great, but then again, I wrote it. Anway, please read and support my ego.

Mirror's Edge is a unique and often frustrating game to play through. It is a first-person platformer and while everything starts off well, you'll likely be wanting to throw the controller at some point before the end. Despite being a platformer, the game felt more like and adventure title to me. Most of the time, you're struggling to figure out what it is the game wants you to do and once you've figured it out, its not too hard to do. Also, the premise of the game is being a runner, but you're often forced into situations where you have to slow down. There are some situations where you have to fight too. I would like to blame the game's problems on poor level design, however it feels like the developers didn't know how great of a game they had. The presentation is top notch and the controls are tight. The music is pretty good too. If the game had a tighter focus on speed, it could have been so much more.

For what it is though, I thought the game had an enjoyable campaign. The story did its job and kept me entertained. While it doesn't take long to complete the 9 included chapters, there are more challenges to unlock. With the speed run mode and included time trials, its possible one could spend a large amount of time on this game. In conclusion, the game does a good job as a new IP, but its good ideas are not completely fleshed out. What is there is still worth a look, but rental should suffice for most people.

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Edit-

There I split it. I don't know how I missed the obvious break before. Thanks Lightfellower.

I've been playing Shadowrun on my PC for a year now and only recently did the game start being buggy on me. What happens is that I'll run into a group of people, or someone will teleport onto me, and the game will just freak out. The framerate will drop to near zero for a second or two, then it will all be fine again except my character will be dead on the ground. I originally tried just turning the graphical settings down, and it didn't work. What makes this weird is that the game had never done this to me before. I thought it was possibly a problem with the processor just not having enough juice to keep up. So I overclocked it.

I have a Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 @ 3.0 Ghz. I'm also using a MSI P35 Neo mainboard. What I discovered is that overclocking with my board is easy. You just type in your desired FSB speed and it figures out the rest for you. I was innitially running at 3.6 ghz overclocked and that worked fine. I even did a 3Dmark06 benchmark and with the new settings there was significant improvement. I didn't write down the scores but it went from a 10,000 or so score to 12000. The processor was still running at around 40C, so I figured I was good.

Well, I try out Shadowrun and the game runs like butter in a bot match. So, I take it online, and after about 2 hours of playing, its obvious the problem is still there. I'm begining to think this isn't a problem with the processor. So, to make sure, I overclocked it more to 3.8 Ghz, but I haven't gotten to try it yet. My guess now is that this is a network problem. Strangely it only affects the computer though. I normally have a 360 running with someone else playing, in the same match at the same time, and that doesn't have a problem.

I figured out why everyone else could beat SF4 while I couldn't. I was playing on easy, thinking it was the easiest difficulty. It turns out the not only is there a "Very Easy" but there is a Very Very Easy, called "Easiest". The first time I played through it was as M.Bison and all I did was down kick over and over again and I won never died. I even got a perfect on Seth. So, now I can unlock all the characters. That doesn't address my balancing complaints about Seth in multiplayer, but I've learned some new tricks, so I might do better next time someone plays as him.

GOD! This game is so **** stupid! I can't beat the game with Ryu on easy because Seth is a **** monster! If you want to say I hate this game because I suck at it, then fine, but I'm actually decent at video games. I don't know what you're going to tell the millions of people who bought this crapfest and constantly get their ass handed to them by the **** boss!

With the summer months most people use the long days and nice weather to spend time outside. I use them to hide from the sun and the heat in my basement and play more games. Right now I'm working on Stranglehold for the 360. Its older and there are a few things I don't like about it, but I think it is fun. Still on 360, I'm also working on Prototype, which I mentioned in my last blog. I'm also carrying around the DS again and playing through Blue Dragon Plus. I loved Blue Dragon and the sequel has a lot of the same charms, but it is definitly a diffrent game. I've got Resident Evil 4 still and am trying to find time to spend on the Wii. Since that system is at my parents house it is a fight to get to play it, but I fully intend to finish that game soon. Once I get my fightpad, hopefully today, I'll be getting back into Street Fighter 4 as well. And, of course, I am still playing my online shooter of choice, Shadowrun, almost every weekend. I'll probably put up reviews for some of these games, if I can ever finish them, but in the meantime I'm just having fun just playing.

I was not excited at all about the game Prototype, but my brother bought it and beat it in only a couple days. Now, I am playing it. I'm only just getting into it, but so far it is very good. It is a bloody sandbox superhero game and if you've considered it at all, I'd encourage you to give it a try. Right now, I can tell there is a lot of stuff to do in the game, but most of it is for completionist only. I am planning on just playing throuh the story. Given the time my brother beat it in, I'd reccomend a rental for most people. If you're into single player and Parkour challanges, then you should probably just buy this game.

I rented Street Fighter 4 from gamefly and I don't like it at all. Though I'm a hardcore gamer, I wouldn't consider myself a hardcore fan of the series. For someone like me, looking for a more casual experience with the title, it doesn't offer much. First of all, it takes quite a while to get used to the old school arcade controls again, then once you do you still have to relearn the moves and the timing. The second thing is that even once you do aclimate yourself to the title, your regular 360 controller is too inaccurate to use anyway. I'm not buying an arcade stick just for a game I rented. The third thing is that the game thinks that all you want to do after turning the game on is jump online. I was wanting to play arcade against the computer and was bogged down by continual requests to play an online match. You can't turn down these requests until its already loaded the battle screen. I couldn't figure how to turn it off, so I just shut the game off an tried playing it again yesterday while LIVE was down. While the game might be everything that die hard fans of the series want, its nothing that I care for. I'm going to send it back to gamefly without even unlocking a single achievement.

1up is announcing the Natal will bring around a "new" console launch for the Xbox 360. This is causing lots of internet rumors, most of which are completly ridiculous. People are thinking that this will mark the end of the current 360 and that we'll all need to upgrade to enjoy future games. While I don't have any proof or inside information, I do know Microsoft likes making money and am making my predictions based on what seems like it would be the best at doing that.

Microsoft is sticking with the 360 for the next few years. This new console will be a redesign for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that it will finally address the RROD and E74 errors properly. Even if the Natal launch titles are awesome, casual gamers likely wont be as forgiving if the console dies on them. The second reason is make the console smaller and quiter. The 360 has been considered a great entertainment hub for a while now, but there are two things keeping it back; its giant power supply, and the fact that it sounds like a jet plane while running. A third reason will be to speed up the system a little. While the current systems are perfectly functional, with every new update it seems to take the system just a fraction of a second longer for the console to load the guide and other menus. This new version will lay a foundation for a much more responsive and snappy experience possibly with some added RAM. If there is a fourth reason it would be to adress complaints customers have had since the 360 launch. I'm guessing they'll take the opportunity to add integrated wireless and they'll replace the optical drive with a slot loading one that doesnt scatch discs if you bump the system while playing it (it will still only use DVDs though). The redisgned system will play the same games in the same way as the current console.

As for the Natal launch, Microsoft says they're viewing it as a new console launch. That is saying that they'll have a good number of games and third part support. It doesn't mean that they'll be charging $300 for the Natal add on. Because Microsoft is trying to sell this product to everyone, price will be a big concern. I'm guessing for existing 360 owners they'll be a $99 bundle that has the Natal with a Wii sports like title demostrating the item's capabilities. While I understand Microsoft has a history of overpricing accessories, Natal will be different because they're trying to sell it to everyone. They will clearance out the old consoles, possibly by giving Natal free to everyone who purchases one. Remember, Natal is just a couple cameras and a microphone; the big advancement is in the software and they've already showed that it can run fin on currently released 360s. The original company who made the techonology the Microsoft is using for Natal, originally planned on selling it for $99.

These are just guesses, but I fully expect this is what will happen. Everyone is making their own guess, so feel free to post your own opinion. My thoughts are that this method would be the best way to make Natal and a new Xbox successful in the marketplace.

I've finally got around to playing Resident Evil 4, on the Wii. i've been wanting to play this game since it was first released on the gamecube, but back then I lived with my parents and any game that has EVIL in the title was not allowed (I played RE1,2, and 3 at a friends house). For those of you who don't know, in the game you're trying to rescue the president's daughter (hence the blog title ;)). One of the main reasons I'm playing it is because of all the arguements of it being better than RE5. So far, I've gotten through the first couple chapters and while its impressive, I wouldn't go so far as to call it better. Strangely the game feels very similar and also quite different at the same time.

The biggest problem I have with RE4, that is not a problem in 5, is the low resolution graphics. While people can argue gameplay over graphics all they want in the forums, Resident Evil benifited grately from a higher resolution. On 4, I'll find myself shooting at what I think is an enemy, only to move closer and find its just an object in the enviornment. The game looks good for a gamecube title, in fact it looks great for its time, but this is one case where the new totally outdoes the old.

I've also noticed there are a lot of silly inconsistancies in 4. One, is that they keep the typewritters from the earlier games, but also ask you to save at the end of each chapter. Why? I understand that RE4 does track your number of saves, 5 does not, but that is a completely dated concept. If you died in the original and hadn't saved, you lost everything and it sucked. In RE4 if you die the game is considerate enough to ask you if you want to retry and will start you at the begining of the chapter as long as you say yes. The only time you'll need to save in a chapter is when you're just wanting to turn the game off, there really is no other reason. Another thing, that fans of four always bring up, is the trader. I was wanting to meet this guy based on others impression of him, but he's only as developed as any shop-keeper in your sterotypical JRPG (meaning, no character at all). They could have just replaced him with a menu that allowed you to buy items and upgrade your weapons... oh right, They DID! RE5 is better without him.

Some things I do like better is that there is some other classic RE moments in 4. I do find myself running from enemies more and the ammo is somewhat more limited than in 5. The knife is also a lot more useful, but this is mostly because you face much less enemies at a time. While less enemies could be could be considered better or worse, if I make it through the whole game without fighting a majini with a gun, I'll be happy. Also, I've learned that Leon, despite his girly-man looks, is pretty badass, not as much as Chris, but with less roid-rage.

On specific note I'd like to make, Sheva does not equal Ashley. The people who play RE5 and try to take away her guns and then complain because she doesn't do anything but get in the way... those people are idiots. Computer Sheva just needs her pistol, upgrade it even. Make sure she has ammo and just let her carry all the healing items. Sheva does not have Ashley's programming and will not hide because enmies are out, she will try to kill them. This is how the game is programed and if you work with it, instead of against it, the game will work with you. Sheva's AI is prefectly suitable for any difficulty except professional and anyone who says otherwise is just a horrible video game player. End of Arguement.

Well, despite some mild graphical complaints, I'm really loving RE4. It is VERY similar to RE5, but I'll always prefer the latter. Its co-op after all. I can see why people thought RE4 was so revolutionary. I imagine that given the time in between the two, people were expecting them to revamp the series again. That seems a little silly to me (don't fix what ain't broke). Despite being only evolutionary, RE5 is an obvious improvement and one of the greatest cinematic experiences in gaming. Still, I doubt they could push those same mechanics for a third time. Regardless, none of this really matters because these are both excellent games and are on completely seperate platforms. If you haven't tried one, they're both very much worth the time.

I played Free Realms, a PC only (PS3 on the way) free MMO game from Sony Online Entertainment. Its not bad at all. In fact, I would say it is quite good. If you're looking for a decent game to waste a few hours on, you could do far worse. The price is better than the Sims 3 and the system requirements should be met by any laptop.