I just can't believe the amount of xbla titles that I haven't taken a swing at. All of which I played demos for and had a really great time. As a giant fan of Alan Wake, not only did I buy the DLC, but I recently picked up "American Nightmare" from the live arcade. WOW! Live arcade games sure have come along way from remakes or ports of games from the 80's! I'm really interested in seeing where my next purchase will go? Do I really need to spend the $60 some odd dollars for something on a disc, or do I go with something (possibly a little shorter) that I can (guaranteed) play the demo for and that is more affordable? I think the answer is a no brainer! Either way (& moreso because I don't think anyone reads these) for my own personal referrence, a list of current xbla titles, I absolutely MUST get and play through: (in no particular order) Limbo, I am Alive, BloodForge, Warp, EarthwormJim HD (yea, I know I made a previous comment about remakes/ports from the past, but it's EARTHWORM JIM!!!), Deep Black,Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, & Rush N attack

Gamespot didn't like my spoof topic in a forum for new game Bodycount. Ironic, given the fact that so many other people were busy cussing and being childlike. The point of this was to say, "hey, if you don't like a game, why bother even wasting your time bad mouthing it?" Anyhow, here in it's full glory is my post:

(pouts) I just thought I'd jump on these forums to remind you about how terrible this game is. I hate things that aren't exactally like Call of Doodie and Halo, and this game isn't like either. I'm so angry! (poot.. that was a wet one... wait, they're always wet these days..) If you really want to know a bad game, try the demo out- I didn't, I just know when games are bad.. (mom!!! bring me another slice of pizza!!! you're so lazy!!!!) Whatever, try the stupid demo out, you'll see that it's just a bunch of shooting! What kind of moron wants shooting in a first person shooter???? God, Codemasters really let me down... And no one on here better have a different opinion, because I speak for gamers everywhere; just look at the reviews from Gamespot & IGN! They didn't like it, I don't like it, and you're a stupid human being if you don't think exactly like we do! I was so excited about this game, because I heard it was like Black, not that I actually played Black because my stupid parents didn't buy me it for Christmas, because I was probably adopted and they hate me. Anyways, this game isn't even like Black, someone on the internet just said it wasn't, so there! If you buy this game and say that you like it, you're stupid and are trying to justify paying $60 for a game that ISN'T like the games I like. (MOM!!!! another slice!!!!! GOD! what's wrong with you?!?! what?! NOOOoo, i'm not going to say please!!!!! wwwwaaah!!!) Now you see how bad his game is, It made me cry. ....this game is responsible for all the pollution in the world too, so if you like this game you should get a job because you are probably homeless. (MOM! I told you to knock before you come into my room!!!! Just leave the pizza on the floor and get out. What??? no, i just forgot to wear underwear... I don't care if it smells... )

...and there it is! Hope you enjoyed it!

...and i'm not ashamed to admit it! Many of my favorite games have been shunned by the AAA gaming elite, and i couldn't care less. Maybe it's that I have lower expectations for my gaming enjoyment, or maybe I just love to support smaller developers. Maybe I sense the heart and soul of a few people that gave it their all in making a game they believed in, or maybe I just have a softspot for the underdog. Although there are some AAA titles that I do enjoy, I tend to usually replay the games that fly under the radar or get (often times) bashed by our "Oh so competant reviewers.". For example, here is a list of some of my favorite gamesfrom both last generation and the current generation:

Bullet Witch

Kane & Lynch I & II

XIII

The Getaway I & II

Legendary

Wet

Deadly Premonition

Timeshift

Manhunt 2

Stubbs the Zombie

Evil Dead: Regeneration

Wolfenstein

Killer 7

Advent Rising (if only this game were backwards compatible)

Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard

Armed & Dangerous

for every good there is a bad with the saints row 2: hilarious side missions but the game freezes alot, great storied missions but shoddy combat, great handling on all the stolen vehicles but the navigator tends to see me crashing into walls...etc.

it's a fun game and when i'm in the mood, i really do find myself getting lost in it's over the top gangsta world.

what i really found interesting was just today while playing srII i noticed a billboard that said "robert rodriguez presents predators". i thought to myself, "it'd be cool if it were true, but i doubt the signs legit and just something the games creators made to give the game an injection of reality." well just now i looked it up- it's REAL!

i never thought that i'd be getting first-hand movie info from a videogame... lol!

i can't lie about it. for better or worse, if the game i'm playing grabs me, it grabs me & i'll play it till the end. the OCD part of the wholething is that i will not play anyting else until the current game i'm playing is completely finished. here comes my complaint:

some games are just WAAAAAAAAY too long. Okami is brilliant in every way, but seriously- 30+ hours???? come on! at 12+ hours designers have given us our money's worth- but once you go past 24 hours- you've hit the OVERKILL point. if your game is that 'epic' in scope, you have totally killed any replay value for me. there is no way i'm going to ever revisit the world of Okami once this never ending quest is finally finished. unlike shadow of the colossus (which took way less time to complete), Okami just stretches for the sake of it. As far as i'm concerned the game could have already ended 10 hours ago- but no. after you kill the main baddy, there is still more epic questing to be done. ....boring.

nonetheless, i really do love Okami. it is nothing short of brilliant in every way....

clocking in at 24+ hours i'm by no means finished with Okami (which i find totally immersive btw), but it is really nice to have a 360 again- this time on an hdtv! one really can't imagine the difference in graphic quality until you experience gaming in 1080p!!! simply stunning.

well, i've finished The Getaway: Black Monday & to be honest, I loved it! I liked Black Monday so much that i played through all the different endings. See my review if you're interested, but suffice it to say The Getaway: Black Monday was a solid title worthy of any retro gamer in for a little violent action.

onto my next game: Okami. So far, i'm loving this cell shaded game. Fantasy is generally not my cup o' tea, but there is just someting about this game that grabs me. This could all change if the RPG elements become too convoluted, or if i find it hard to find out what my next objective is- but so far, so good!

so not that anyone really cares about a game that waa made ages ago and didn't get even decent reviews then, but 'red ninja' now resides in a far better place: my trash can.

the next ps2 title i've been playing is 'the getaway 2: black monday'. so far, i really like it. there is trouble at times in finding out what to do next in a particular mission but other than that- a truly great way to kill some time while waiting to get another 360...

so now that my 360 is kaput, i figure that i'll just play my ps2 until i round up enough money to get a new one. anyone know any games that might have flown under the radar during ps2's heyday??? a few days ago i picked up "red ninja", "the getaway 2", and "okami" for $20 at gamestop.
red ninja intrigued me most simply because of the art design, but i have to say the camera and controls are completely broken. the game is so busted that i might decide to not even bother playing through it- & i am a sucker for gore, ninjas, & stealth gameplay. here's hoping the game get's better fast!

oh microsoft, why oh why did you have to make your console so defective? this is currently my 3rd rrod & i'm over my warranty.

now i have to get $200 together & buy a new console.

in the meantime i'm a video game addict that will be going through some serious withdrawal. this is the perfect way to start my 2010...

there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for bad A.I. come on developers, some of you aren't even trying. there is nothing worse than playing a game and seeing the enemy (or even a players own npc's) doing things not even a monkey with half a brain would do.

all the great graphics in the world mean nothing without great gameplay.

great gameplay doesn't exist without smart, challenging AI.

please, look to the highest benchmark: f.e.a.r. does AI best hands down.