My life's getting busier and busier it seems -- family, job hunting, and other things that have kept me away from my consoles. While those are important priorities that I take very seriously, I've been trying to do more gaming in my relatively limited downtime. Luckily, I was able to beat Resident Evil 6 (all four campaigns) roughly three weeks ago, and I'm making steady progress in Assassin's Creed 3. (pokecharm, I'm catching up to you--watch your back!) And the Wii U is coming out in a week or so! Needless to say, it'll be an eventful month before the Holidays and the end of the year. For now, let me keep you up to date with some of my recent gets.....

--Alan Wake. This game has alluded me for three years, and dwelt in development limbo for five years. The story drew me in like an episodic, amped-up Blair Witch Project where people go missing and humans get turned into monsters known as 'Taken'. The characters were believable in their emotions and struggles (i.e. tumultuous marriage, bouts of insanity, etc.) and the premise is unsettling. I myself often suffer from writer's block, but imagine having it for two years. It'd make anyone go crazy. The gameplay could have been better, but I do like how light and dark play a role. Alan Wake is pretty interesting stuff---worthy of my $15.

--Assassin's Creed 2. Got this for $10 for my 360; a perfect compliment to Assassin's Creed 3 (which I am currently playing now) I'm working backwards with this series -- call me crazy, but starting with AC3 became my happy mistake; I'm now a fan of the franchise. I have a good feel for it now, but don't consider me a member of the Assassin's just yet. I'm also getting a handle on the storyline --- when I first caught wind of the original Assassin's Creed, I thought it was about just an assassin living during the time of the Crusades who delved in silent kills against corrupted religious hierarchies, but looking closer, it was far more interwoven and complex than I ever thought.

--Valkyrie Profile 2 Silmeria. For $9, I picked up this truly underrated game and sequel to another underrated game. I have yet to find the original PSOne release, but Silmeria (unlike Assassin's Creed 3) transpires before the events of Lenneth.

--Dead or Alive 5. Yeah, finally picked this game up three weeks ago after a long hiatus. I actually got it used for $50, so I can't use the online pass unless I pay 1200 or so points for it (a sign of the times). Surprisingly, I opted for the 360 version despite the fact that it is also available on the PS3 for the first time since DOA Hardcore on the PS2 (which was a LAUNCH title). I'll have impressions in a future review.

And finally.....I got Halo 4. More on this later......

I've also posted four reviews for the following games: New Super Mario Bros. 2, Resident Evil 6, Diablo 3 and Double Dragon Neon. Click on the links and check them out.

Peace!