1. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
   
   I’ll admit, I have a bit of a bias when it comes to MGS4. The Metal Gear series is quite possibly my favorite game series of all time, for a number of different reasons. The convoluted story created so many loose ends that I, like many others, assumed the conclusion would be a near impossible feat. While the actual storyline could be found in any b-grade war movie, the presentation is fantastic (possibly the best looking game I’ve ever seen [Crysis, lol!]), and Kojima’s blend between game and movie was a huge breath of fresh air, one that I wouldn’t mind breathing over and over.
   Not since Ocarina of Time have I felt this feeling of utter perfection. Each act (there are five total) plays differently than the one before it, and some of the sections in the game, especially the ending, are things you’ve never experienced before, and most likely, never again. Playing the game in small spurts is a crime, and I couldn’t seem to pull myself away, playing for hours on end. It’s a fantastic conclusion to an amazing series, and hand down my favorite game of all time.
2. Fallout 3
   
   I’ll admit that I missed the Fallout series as a kid; then again, I didn’t play a lot of good games as a kid for one reason or another. I did, however, play The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and probably enjoyed it a bit too much (120 hours too much). And while some may have used the phrase “Oblivion with guns” against Fallout, I was more than happy to embrace the new mechanics. While the beginning was frustratingly difficult (I played the good route), as time went on, I really began to enjoy Fallout 3, in a number of ways, more than Oblivion. While the V.A.T.S. system took a little while to get used to, and traveling any way other than fast travel was occasionally a confusing pain-in-the-ass, the overall sense of style and vast number of things to do made up for everything. Well, except for the ending that is; that was total garbage.
3. Braid
   
   As “emo” and “artsy” as Braid may have been, I still remember the feeling of finally finishing the epilogue and sitting back, thinking about what I had just played. The time travel mechanic was brilliant, and every time you finished one of those puzzles you felt like the smartest person in the world. Braid is an old fashion challenge, very simple, yet very, very complex at the exact same time. Yet due to it’s price and somewhat elitist mantra, it seemed like Braid never got the attention it rightly deserved (despite a glowing review from Soulja Boy Tell ‘em). If I could recommend one game out of the three that I’ve mentioned to go out and play, Braid would definitely be the one. It’s easy to pick up and play, and enough of a challenge to keep you coming back. While the Time Trial mode didn’t really make me want to come back for more, just playing through the main game once and finishing the story is enough to warrant a purchase. Then you can let it sit, forget all the puzzles, and come back to it a few months later.

Honorable Mentions

• Grand Theft Auto IV – Good game, no doubt, but I didn’t seem to click with experience everyone else seemed to be having. Maybe I just didn’t connect with the whole mafia/vengence story. Whoduthunkit?
• Dead Space – A great new IP with a lot of potential. Not exactly in the top five, but definitely top ten. I’ll definitely pick up the sequel.
• Left 4 Dead – Valve keeps cranking out one great multiplayer experience after another, but I just think the replay value isn’t enough to keep you coming back for more than two or three times.
• Gears of War 2 – Eh. It’s more Gears.

Sorry guys, no Little Big Planet. Great game, but not GotY by any means in my book.

Christmas is always a weird time for me, especially at my age, because as much as I love the sights, smells, sounds, and pretty much everything about Christmas, it’s odd to lose the magic. It’s a trend I’ve noticed over the years, and while I’ve grown comfortable with it, the thought of treating holidays like any other day just seems like being the only guy at the party who decides not to dance. I came to the party, I prepped myself for it, but I’m just soaking up everyone elses fun, and when someone asks me the next day how it went, I’ll just say “Same ol’, same ol’” and hope that no one feels the need to point out the fact that I spent the majority of the night binge drinking off to the side.

On that note, it’s just growing increasingly interesting to see how things really turn out in life. I mean, I’ve been told “It’s a cruel world out there” my entire life, and while I think I’ve dealt with that for the most part, it’s interesting to see exactly how much is thrown behind the curtain until you’re deemed old enough. Family members talking about each other with (seemingly) real expectations, instead of just blind love, which is the way you were taught growing up, and the like. I don’t want to chalk it up to “shit happens”, but due to the fact that I’ve grown increasingly lazier when it comes to smoothing things out in my life, it looks like that’s where that one will fall.

Christmas, and the winter season in general, has also brought my disgusting love of shit stuff to my attention. I’ve started to keep track over the last few months of exactly what I buy, and while it may not be 100% correct (I do miss things here and there), it’s just amazing to see how much I splurge. But at the same time, I also save money (or at least that’s what I like to tell myself), and along with the small amount of disgust I feel when I look at that page, I also feel a small amount of pride in myself, knowing how much more I almost spent. I guess thats like patting yourself on the back for walking into a brothel and only walking out with crabs. Oh well.

I’ve also been accepted into college, which has sent my motivation straight to zero. I now sit at home, either hanging out with my girlfriend, play World of Warcraft/Xbox, or just watch TV, while at the same time rediscovering my lost love for fast food. While I do feel a small amount of sloth, I also derive happiness from the fact that my life is so utterly simple. Now for many it may not be in any way satisfying, but my girlfriend, whom I spend most of my free time with, is fantastic, and as far as sitting my ass on my couch and playing games goes, that’s been a staple of my life for years. I do absolutely no school work, much to my parents dismay, and just spend ridiculous amounts of time thinking about my future, which I’m hoping includes lots of this.

So while I can’t exactly say I’ve cured a disease or done anything spectacular with my life as of late, I have found a very nice niche, that for once isn’t rooted in my intense feelings of being alone (lonelyness wasn’t the right word). Seeing as how the next few years of my life appear to be the ones that may or may not carve my “path”, it’ll be interesting to see how all of that transcends. Can’t imagine I’d fuck up too bad, but with the world in the state it is now days, I honestly can’t tell. I just keep trying to fight the good fight, whatever that may be.

As previously mentioned, for the larger part of the year, I do as I please. Play title X to completion and still have time to play through some older games that I’d never given a chance when they came out, or didn’t have the time/money for at the time. Plenty of time for socializing and the like, but at the same time it can get kind of boring.

However, and I’ll skip the technical babble, the shit hits the fan. Now, I assume that if you’ve read this far, you still give some form of a shit about what I’m talking about. For the last six weeks or so, there’s been what I would consider to be a major title released, and I can safely say that I’ve played 99% of them, much to my wallet and free time’s dismay. The following list is a short thought on each:

• MegaMan 9:

• Dead Space: ****/***** – Definitely worth looking into. A great new IP that has lots of potential.
• Fable II: ****/***** – Solid action-rpg. Molyneux loves hyping his shit, and this time it actually somewhat lives up.
• Fallout 3: *****/***** – Definitely gets better with the more time you put into it. If you don’t like too much depth to your game, stray away, this definitely isn’t a casual title.
• Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts: ***/***** – Physics-based system can be frustrating, and having the Banjo-Kazooie title to live up to doesn’t help.
• Left 4 Dead: ****/***** – Make sure you play it with your friends. No sense playing this one alone.
• Rock Band 2/Guitar Hero 4: ?/? – It’s more of the same. I’m personally growing tired of playing so many fucking songs.

Can’t say I’ve played Call of Duty: World at War, although I’d love to. Just no time and no real interest, although I’d imagine it’s just CoD4 set in the Pacific Theatre.

Oh, and of course

New Red Case *drool*

My new obsession to protect my shit is becoming ridiculous.

However, I didn’t pick any games up for a few reasons, the main one being I’m currently too enamered by Tales of Vesperia, among other things. Normally I would try my best to stay away from JRPGs, but as of late I’ve been on some sort of a roll, switching between that and Dragon Quest IV on my DS whenever I have any downtime, which, as previously mentioned, I have plenty of.

That boss = a bitch

I also went out and picked up Spore, which I honestly haven’t played that much, but to be fair, it’s not all that deep, so I don’t really feel like I’m missing out. It’s definitely a game for the Maxis crowd and I think that if you expected anything less than casual you’re crazy, although I will say that the game was hyped a bit too much. As for some quick impression scores, they’re as follows:

Spore: ****/*****
Tales of Vesperia: *****/*****
Dragon Quest IV: ?/***** (Honestly haven’t spent enough time with it, although I have a few opinions)

I’m honestly just trying to plow through as many games as I can until Fable II comes out in late October.

On a side note, I love how butt hurt people get when you try to discuss their religion with any sort of logic instead of with blind faith. I realize that religion really shouldn’t be looked at under a logical microscope in the first place, but I don’t think there’s any problem in questioning your beliefs; it can only make you wiser.

But to me, Apple laptops are a much different story. They’re built much sturdier than most Windows machines and are pretty damn sexy to boot. While they are expensive, I believe, especially in the case of laptops and computers in general, that you get what you pay for.

So, on a slightly similar note, I’ve been looking into laptops for a while now, with my eyes set on a 15″ MacBook Pro. Low and behold, my 18th birthday comes around, and what else do I get but…

I am currently typing to you from the comforts of my bed at 1:43 in the morning. Ah, what a wondrous adventure this will be. Now, all I need is a mouse.

I tell you this story because every once in a while I enjoy checking in on careless man. I don’t steal money from his bank account or anything along those lines, and he has no idea that I have his information. Sometimes I just like knowing that I have this man’s life in my hands. Granted, in this day and age, stealing his identity would be more of a nuisance than a life-ending event, but then again, it’s the little things in life that matter, right?

I haven’t told anyone that I have this god complex; I feel they might lose trust in me. But every few months or so, I see what he’s doing, what he’s buying, you know, the kind of stuff stalkers do.

Turns out his wife died a few years ago.

So every year, on his anniversary, I write him letters posing as his wife, saying that I wrote the letters before her death. In the letters, I tell him of the affairs that his wife had with first names that I pull out of my old high school yearbook, hoping that careless man will know these men. I think I’m slowly tearing this man’s life apart, because last time I checked in on him, he’d taken a new found interest in firearms.

Sometimes I just think I’m the funniest guy I know.

Yet, for some reason, I came back.

I don’t really have a concrete reason why, nor does it matter, but here I am, and instead of segwaying into an actual topic, I believe I’ll just cut it short, but I will end it on this:

Go see Wall-E and The Dark Knight. Easily two of the best films of the summer.

First song off of Anberlin’s September album “New Surrender”. Sadly, it’s a low-quality MySpace rip. 96kbps. When I get a better copy, I’ll upload it.

192kbps. Have at it.

While I may be a Coldplay loving (more like enjoying) queer, I failed to see the majestic beauty that everyone else saw in “Viva La Vida”. I mean, yes, it is a good song, but everyone held it up on this pedestal like it was the Coldplay song. But I’m wandering (slightly) off topic.

Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends, aside from having a ridiculously long title, isn’t that bad. With every new CD from a band I like, there’s always a nagging doubt in the back of my as to whether or not they’ll retain their sound (see Narrow Stairs). So with Viva, I kind of went into the experience hoping everything would be just like the last time we were together, but at the same time, trying to be open to the change.

But Viva is definitely Coldplay, and during some of it, it’s them at their finest. Tracks like “42″ and “Lost!” are great example of what Chris Martin & Co. are capable of. Sadly though, most of the album consists of tracks that are altogether skippable. Granted, it’s not like the tracks are bad, but at the same time, they just kind of felt like filler between the tracks that I actually did enjoy.

In the end, Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends is a good CD. By no means is it their best work, but it’s a nice follow up to X & Y. Also, in a Nevermind-like fashion, there’s a sticker on the album to cover up the boobs, for those of us who can’t handle 14th century breasts…

***/*****