I wanted to post here to let you guys know that I'm pretty much done with Gamespot. This just isn't the place to go for games anymore. I'll still be checking some of your random blog posts and maybe commenting here and there, but I most likely will not post blogs anymore. You will probably see me at Giant Bomb once their community functions are up and running this summer. And in the mean time I will get my game news from Kotaku and Joystiq, which post 20x as often as Gamespot News.

If you want to play games together, there are multiple ways to get ahold of me:

Steam: poost65@gmail.com (will pop up as AOD_Poost)

Xfire: poostaru (will pop up as AOD_Cpl_Poost)

Xbox Live: Poostaru

I also have a Wii, but I don't have the number handy atm (contact me by email if you'd like to play some SSBB).

I will probably be on PSN by early summer, once the MGS4 pack is released in June.

Interested in online PC gaming with a great group of people? Check out Angels of Death at www.clanaod.net. We have divisions in many popular games such as World in Conflict, Team Fortress 2, Call of Duty 4, World of Warcraft, Warrock, and a few more. I am in the TF2 division, and it's always a blast.

Take care guys, see ya on the flip-side!

According to Joystiq.com, Ryan Davis is leaving Gamespot. The reasons are pretty obvious, but if you are interested check out the full article here.

EDIT: Gamedaily.com and Kotaku have also posted articles within the last few hours and can be found here and here (respectively).

EDIT2: Official word from the man himself.

No movie since The Sum of All Fears has put me in such a great state of suspense. The film as a whole can be summed up in one word: intense. From the initial monster attack until the end, you never really know what to expect. And with a monster as crazy the Cloverfield creature, be prepared for some "oh snap!" moments.

The entire movie is shot from the view of a single camera held by one of the characters. There are no cuts to different angles or aerial shots to give wide views of the landscape. We see only what the camera sees, and know only what the characters know. Though jarring at first, the shaky camerawork gives the film a great feeling of realism, in an era where Americans love to watch amateur video on the internet.

The film begins with introduction to the characters. The camera is owned by Rob, who has recently been hired to work in Japan. We see him and his girlfriend Beth planning a trip to Coney Island. The camera cuts and the timestamp jumps a few days. Rob's friends are throwing him a surprise party as a send-off. The camera is used to collect testimonials from people who knew Rob, as something for him to remember them by. In the middle of the party, the ground shakes as the monster attack begins. Suspense quickly builds as we watch the events unfold. Hud, who is holding the camera, decides that he needs to tape everything so that others could see what they see.

As a movie filmed from a single point of view, the filmmakers have done a great job of putting scenes together that can be witnessed in one take and from one view. Though there are no wide or aerial shots that allow us to see the monster destroying buildings, you won't be disappointed in the views that you do get during the movie. The monster is certainly very unique, and I have never seen anything quite like it. But going in, you should expect a movie about people trying to survive a monster attack, and not a movie about a monster.

There are only a few things that bothered me about the movie. The guy holding the camera (Hud) is pretty annoying, which is sad because we hear his voice right next to the camera for the whole movie. The film will leave you wanting to know more about the monster itself. There are a few points where you wish the camera were a little bit more still, or looked at something a few more seconds, but overall, the handheld effect works very well for the movie.

For those who want to forego the movie altogether, and may just be curious as to what the monster looks like, then too bad. I have searched all over the place for shots of the thing, but there is none whatsoever. A search for the monster may yield a picture of a giant blue whale with legs, but that is fan-art and in no way resembles the actual creature. But we may not have to wait long to see this again though. There are rumors that the DVD may be released as early as April, with a more conservative estimation placing it in June.

Emblems for Cloverfield:

Good: Oh Snap!, Innovative, Sucks You In, Great Sound Effects, Good Boss

Bad: Annoying Characters (Hud)

Specific monster description in the spoiler:

***SPOILER***

EDIT, PLEASE NOTE: Unfortunately, the BBcode for spoilers is disable in blog comments. So please read the comments at your own discretion. But to be honest, you can know alot about what happens in this movie and still be totally blown away (I read a bit too much before I went to see it). In this movie it's not about what happens, it's about how it happens. Reading about it just doesn't do it justice.

This is today's {1/25/08} comic from http://xkcd.com. Enjoy.

Alex Navarro provided a link on his blog to a blog on 1UP written by editor Sam Kennedy (posted Monday, January 21st). It is a very in-depth look at the events at Gamespot over the past few months, and addresses alot of important questions for Gamespot, editorials, and the game industry itself. It also puts things in perspective, and may provide information you hadn't heard before. Word of warning, his post is extremely long. Even if you are tired of hearing about the Gerstmann incident, I still highly recommend giving it a look.

Sam Kennedy's 1UP Blog

It's been awhile since I have posted, and so I thought I would kick off 2008 by blogging not about games, but instead about music, television, and film. And…go!

Music

Over the two weeks I spent in my hometown over the holiday break, I increased my music library by about four albums, which for me is quite a bit at one time. I just wanted to offer some recommendations for all you music-lovers out there. I haven't written about music ever, but I'll try my best.

Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold (2007)

This new album from metal group A7X is filled with quite an interesting mix of songs. The tracklist starts off with the political themed "Critical Acclaim", filled with screaming and half-sung, half-spoken lyrics reminiscent of System of a Down's "Prison Song". Now that they got the screaming out of their system, the rest of the album follows the same styIe that is seen in their last album City of Evil which had A7X straying from their screaming and heavy metal styIe of the first two albums. Among the tracks in their self-titled album are an 8 minute Broadway-styIe song "A Little Piece of Heaven" that sounds like it came straight out of Sweeney Todd, and a surprisingly good country song "Dear God". Yes, that's right, country. Having already listened to this CD many times, I highly recommend this to anyway who is a fan of rock and enjoys bands that are willing to experiment with multiple genres. Also try City of Evil (2005) if you are interested.

D-Sides - Gorillaz (2007)

I'm not up on the music industry jargon, but I think this album is the B-sides from the Gorillaz' 2005 studio album Demon Days. For those not familiar with Gorillaz, they are a virtual band created by Damon Albarn (and some other dude). They have lots of different artists come in to add various elements to the songs, and they end up with a really unique sound. For example, the first single from Demon Days has Albarn singing the chorus, with De La Soul rapping (and laughing). Anyway, Gorillaz uses many elements from multiple genres including rap, R&B, and electronica, among others. D-Sides is basically more Albarn, less guest artists. D-Sides feels a lot more like the Gorillaz' self-titled first album, which had a lot more singing on Albarn's part. If you enjoy a great beat, thought-provoking lyrics, or already a fan of Gorillaz, then I suggest buying yourself some Gorillaz. You should probably start with Demon Days or Gorillaz, even though D-Sides is still awesome.

Yours to Keep - Albert Hammond, Jr. (2006)

This is the first solo album from the rhythm (occasionally lead) guitarist of the Strokes, Albert Hammond, Jr., and you can really tell. The styIe on every track is very similar to that of The Strokes, though a bit softer. Having only heard Julian Casablancas sing for the band, I'm not really sure why they didn't have Hammond do more back-up vocals or something, because the talent is certainly there. I have been a big fan of The Strokes for awhile now, and Yours to Keep is certainly on par with their albums.

Aha Shake Heartbreak - Kings of Leon (2005)

My brother, knowing of my interest in the Strokes sound, recommended this album to me. The band is made up of four brothers, sons of a traveling preacher. Aha Shake Heartbreak is the group's second album, with their third, Because of the Times being released in 2007 (I am going to buy it soon). With my lack of music-writing expertise, I can only really say that this album totally rocks, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys modern rock. Alternatively, you could get their third album (which according to Wikipedia is generally regarded as their best to date).

Television

This writer's strike has put our non-gaming entertainment industry in quite a bind. Despite the craziness, there is still some good TV to be had. Here are the shows I have been/will be watching this month, and I highly recommend all of them.

Arrested Development on DVD (3 Seasons)

The most intelligent and hilarious sitcom I have ever watched. The cast really pulls out all the stops to present the most ridiculous family ever. Created by Mitch Hurwitz, Arrested Development features the Bluth family, who run a successful home-building business, until their father is arrested after having been found to be using company funds. The main character is one of the three Bluth sons, Michael (played by Jason Bateman), who seems to be the most 'normal' one of the family, even though he still has his faults. Michael takes charge of the company to try to turn things around. The show is shot in a documentary styIe, and has no laugh-track (+100 points right there). Sadly, the ratings didn't match the shows quality and the series was canceled before the end of its third season.

LOST Season 4 starting Jan 31 on ABC

Eight episodes of Season 4 were finished before the strike began, so ABC decided to go ahead and show them starting later this month. Lost is often criticized for being fairly hard to understand if you jump in mid-series. I can kinda understand that. This drama has a very extensive story web and there are many relationships between characters that you may miss if you hop into the middle of the series. This is made even worse by the fact that there are TONS of characters. For those that don't know about the show, it's about the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, which mysteriously veered off course and crashed just offshore of an island. The survivors quickly discover that they may not be the only ones who have found this island. You really owe it to yourself to start this show from Season 1. Trust me, five minutes into the pilot, and you will understand why Lost is the best show on television.

Mythbusters on Discovery Channel (Wednesdays at 9pm)

This show is for anyone with an interest in science, explosions, folklore, and a good laugh. Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman test out myths from around the world to see if they are true or possible. Using their special effects expertise, they scientifically test the circumstances behind the myth, and if it doesn't work out, they see what it does take (which often involves explosives). The show is really entertaining and is often fairly funny, seeing as the mythbusters and the build team often do some silly things.

Film

I haven't seen any movies since 2008 began, but I just wanted to discuss one movie that I do plan on seeing soon.

Cloverfield (spoiler free)

This Blair Witch meets Godzilla film has been getting quite a bit of hype since then, and is finally out in theaters. The movie is shot from the video cameras of a group of friends. So you see what they see, know only what they know. I still plan on seeing it sometime in the next week, though it has been getting mixed reviews (around 70% on the Tomatometer). I was hooked the first time I saw the teaser trailer last summer, which showed the following events: A group of friends are throwing a party for a guy named Rob, when the lights begin to flicker and the building shakes for a few seconds. They turn on the TV, where news stations say it may have been an earthquake. The partygoers go to the roof to get a view of what is going on. The camera shakes and they all turn to see a massive explosion in the middle of the city. Flaming debris is expelled from the burst and everyone runs for cover into the building. They descend and emerge into the streets, which have turned to chaos. Another explosion rocks the scene and loud roar can be heard, the camera turns as a giant piece of debris is flying down the street. The camera follows it and comes into focus, revealing it to be the head of the Statue of Liberty.

Well, that's all I got for now. Enjoy your three day weekend, however cold it may be. Thanks for reading.