Poll Results - What new game should I start next

So my poll has been closed for awhile but I finally have the chance to give the results.

What new game should I start (and capture)?

• Dark Souls
• Darksiders
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Dishonored
• Rayman Origins
• Red Faction: Guerilla
• The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

There were 2 votes for Dark Souls and 2 votes for Rayman Origins.  I know who voted so you can't hide from me.  It was a little bit unfair in that I started playing Rayman Origins before the poll closed.  I might even have posted a video before it closed as well.  I really just needed a change in the games I was playing and that one sounded like a good c
choice at the time.

Since the poll has closed I've actually started 2 new games (and picked up some achievements and trophies in both of them).  I've started Dark Souls on my Xbox 360 and Prototype 2 on my PS3.  I'm editing the video for Dark Souls now and I'll get to the Prototype 2 edits in the next day or so. 

I'm really excited about the Prototype 2 games for a couple of reasons.  1) I finally was able to get my PS3 set up to capture video and sound.  It tool a couple extra chords and devices to get it to work but I think it will be worth it.  I used a new audio program for the first Prototype video so I'm interested in seeing how that turned out.  I used Audicity to record.  It's a test video so hopefully things will work out but I'm still tweaking the settings.  And 2) I really liked that game.  Once I got a hang of everything I was having a lot of fun flying through the city and killing bad guys . . . and innocents some time when I needed a snack to munch on.  Don't judge me.  I got all the way up to the Hydra boss battle, which I did have some trouble with but it's still all good.  Look for Prototype 2 videos coming to my YouTube channel soon.

I think I've finally got things under control enough that I can commit to a schedule for posting on my channel.  I'm going to try to post 2 videos a week during the summer and hopefully get up to a 3 videos per week schedule once this blistering heat stops turning me in to a puddle of water with no energy to do anything.  That doesn't mean I won't be posting an extra video or two every now and then.  Just depends on how fast I can record them and edit them while still working a full time job.  Got to pay the bills somehow. 

New Achievements!

So I picked up some new achievements this weekend.  It's been awhile since I've earned any so I'm excited.

The first one I picked up was in the Arcade game Scramble.  I haven't played that game in a long time.  Actually the last (and only) achievement I earned in that game was from 6/1/2007.  Wow!  Talk about some time lag. 

I wasn't really looking to play that game.  I was actually seeing if I still had the digital download for Gears of War Judgment and I came across that game.  I couldn't remember what type of game it was so I loaded it up and tried it out.  Within in the first two minutes I got the achievement.  Maybe subconsciously I knew how close I was to another achievement and that's why I started it up.  Maybe I should listen to those voices inside my head more often.  It might help my Gamerscore.

The next achievements I got were in a new game.  I put in Rayman Origins and made a video in that game that should be released later this week.  Yes, I know it's one of the options in my poll which doesn't close yet, I just wanted something fun and bright and cheerful to play since Lego Star Wars was driving me crazy.  So much so, that there will be a "swear count" in the credits at the end of one of my videos once I post it.  I'm not done editing it (or counting swear words) so it probably won't be up for another day or two.  When you watch it, you'll understand.  At least I hope you will.  And it's all my fault.

I also spent some time today working towards 3 achievements in Gears of War Judgment.  And no, I don't seem to have the digital copy on my hard drive anymore.  I'm working on finishing the campaign on insane and I have a friend that is helping me out.  I'm playing on insane.  He's playing on casual.  We were able to play the 3rd chapter before we called it quits.  I should get the achievement for hardcore, insane and co-op once we finish everything.  That will be 125 points for my Gamerscore.  After we do that, we talked about working on the getting the stars and declassified mission achievements.  I think that will bring in another 100+ points, but those are much further down the road.  Let's just try to get through the campaign first, shall we.

I am seriously trying to get to (and possibly over) the 30,000 mark with my Gamerscore before the end of the year.  I've got a full time job that sucks the life out of me Monday through Friday, plus a bunch of other things going on in life.  It's doable.  It's just going to take me awhile.  That's kind of one of the reasons why I wanted to start a game that I haven't played to help me get some achievements.  And to experience something fresh and new.  But, mostly for the achievements.  What can I say.  I like achievements.

New Poll: What games should I try next?

So it's been awhile since I've had a new poll up on my blog.  But I've got one I want to start now.  It might be a short window to vote so vote early (and often).  You can vote for as many as you like, as many times as you like.  I don't know when I'll shut the poll down, but there is a nice long holiday weekend coming up that I would like to spend time playing games.

I've been playing a lot of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga because I'm trying to get the last two achievements I need to finally get a disk game to 100% for the achievements.  I've finished the achievements in several Arcade games, but never with a full disk game.  But . . . I'm getting a little tired of playing that game all the time since It's the third time through the game for me (once completing on PS2 and once again on Xbox 360 before my stuff got stolen). 

Now I want to start playing something else as a little break.  I've narrowed some choices down to the following.  I will be making videos of me playing them and posting on YouTube so what would you like to see me play.  These are all games that I haven't played before so the experience would be completely new for me.  Vote and let me know what I should dive in to.


What game should I start playing:

Dark Souls
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Dishonored
Darksiders
Rayman Origins
Red Faction: Guerilla

Poll Results: Which new system

Here are the results of my latest poll:

Which new system should I get with my tax refund?

PS3 = 0 votes
Wii U = 0 votes
PS4 = 2 votes
Xbox One = 0 votes

I didn't get a chance to vote in this poll because I got sidetracked by a close friend's death.  If I would have voted I would have picked the PS3.

There's a lot of games that I've wanted to get for the PS3 and I don't know that I could "cut my losses" and just jump straight ahead to the PS4.  I've been looking around trying to find the best deal since with the PS4 coming out I'm sure there would be.  Unfortunately I haven't found any deals that I like.  So I bought some other stuff instead.

I picked up a couple more "new" games to play and I've been having some fun playing them.  I got Fable Anniversary, Call of Duty: Ghosts and Diablo III.  I had to pick up some other things for the house and such so my tax refund is spent already.  I will get the PS3 . . . I just might have to budget for it for awhile before I can afford to get one.

After I get my PS3 I will be getting an Xbox One (maybe with next years refund).  After that it will probably be the PS4.  The problem right now is I really want to play Pikmin 3 and that's only out on the Wii U.  But I can't justify buying a new console to just play one game.  And I'm not sure what other games out there for the Wii U that I would be interested in.

I have been beginning to wonder recently at what point does my innocent hobby become an obsession and I have to have it all.  In the stitching world we have SABLE.  It stands for Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy.  It means we have more projects to work on than we would ever finish before we die.  At some point I'm going to have GABLE.  Games Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy.  How will I play them all?

New Poll: What "new" system should I get with my tax refund?

Hey, a NEW POLL!  It's been awhile since I've had one of those.  Well, here it is:



What "new" system should I get with my tax refund?

PS3
Wii U
PS4
Xbox One


Please keep in mind available games for that system.  If you know me or have followed my blog for awhile you know what types of games I like.  And while I say "new" some of those system aren't exactly new.  But they're new to me so there you go.

You have until March 18th to vote.  Please be sure to tell me why in the comments.  You can do it anonymously if you don't want me to know that my Xbox 360 loving gamer friend is really a Wii U fan boy at heart.

Poll Results - How much of a game do you finish?

Wow, guys.  I hadn't realized how long it's been since my last post and poll.  Sorry about that.  Some things in life got in the way.  Hopefully I'll do better from now on.  If not, you can harass me about it.

How much of a game do you finish?

I play out everything 100% = 1 vote

I play to get to the end credits, nothing more = 2 votes

I play until I can't beat a boss/challenge = 1 votes

I play as long as I like the game = 3 votes

It's sad to say that I don't think I voted in my own poll when it was open.  I added my vote now (and a friend's who missed the deadline).

I play out everything 100%
I wish I could say that.  I try to play out everything 100% but sometimes things don't work out that way.  Take Chromehounds for example.  I would have loved to have gotten some of those team achievements/awards but there were always squads online boosting for them so you wouldn't stand a chance unless you boosted too.  With that game you would have to devote 24 hours a day for several days just to make it worth it and even then you might not be the overall winning squad or get the special weapon to come out so you could defeat it.  There were too many achievements and/or aspects of the game that were contingent on what everybody else was doing in the game.  You could have worked all night to set the world up just like you (and your squad) wanted it, only to find out that the Japanese fanboys (and there are lot of them) messed everything up while you were sleeping.  This is one game that was nearly impossible to get all the achievements unless you totally devoted your life to the game and who has that kind of time for a commitment?

I play to get to the end credits, nothing more
If a game has "collectibles" or specific things you need to do in game to get achievements or different ends to the story I'm all up for doing that.  I plunk down good money for games and DLC that if the developer put something into the game specifically for me to play then I'm going to play it.  It just might take me a long time to play it all.  I recently restarted Final Fantasy VII for the last time and another friend restarted as well.  He made a list of all the things he hasn't done or is not going to try to do and I was wondering why.  Why go through the whole experience of a game (especially one that is/can be very long) and not do everything there is to do in the game?  Unless you're planing on setting a world record for the fastest play-through what's the point.  Yes, the shortest lines between two places (start screen and end credits) is a straight line but a game (especially one as good as FFVII) should be savored and enjoyed.  At least that's how I feel.  Now, I don't have a problem playing to the end credits so you can concentrate on the story and then going back to do all the hoopla that's extra.  But to get to the end credits without having experienced the game, and having no desire to play it again to experience those extras, doesn't seem right to me.  I've had several friends tell me that's how they play the game and I just don't get it.

I play until I can't beat a boss/challenge
This was my vote.  I should have also included "until I get bored, or have to go to bed, or have to go to work, or have to whatever" and that would sum up my whole playing experience.  I play a game until I have to stop for whatever reason.  It just might be that I have to go to bed.  By the time I get back to a time where I can play again I might be in the mood for something else.  Yesterday was a cutesy platformer . . . today I might need to blow someone's head off.  And because I've got so many games to choose from it might be awhile before I get back to that cutesy platformer (or shooter).  That's why I have a hard time finishing games.  I  play what my mood inspires me to play.  I am working on focusing on a game or two (or three or four) and working on playing just those.  I've managed to finish Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 even though I haven't played any of the other CoD games.  Now, I'm working on Borderlands and Gears of War on insane and Gears of War 3 on insane.  Gyromancer is the arcade game I throw in there if I'm not interested in shooters.

I play as long as I like the game
I usually know rather quickly if I"m going to like or dislike a game.  There are a few games that I've bought that I've turned back in.  Siphen Filter (or something or other) for the PS, Grand Theft Auto (I can't remember which one) for the PS2 and Ghost Recon for Xbox 360 are all games that I didn't make it through the first 30 minutes of game play before I decided it wasn't for me.  Unfortunately when I sold them back I lost money.  That's why I really like the game demos I can get on Xbox Live.  There are a few that I played and I was glad that I didn't waste any money on.  There's also been others that I've picked up because of the game demo.  Getting halfway through a game and then deciding I don't like it and would rather not have if just isn't me.  By that point I've already invested a lot of time into the game and I want to see my investment pay off.  So even if I don't like it by then I would still play it to get to the end and (hopefully) get my money's worth.  I've been lucky (or maybe careful) because I haven't just gone out and gotten every new games that comes out.  I've picked and chosen my games carefully.  I've done my research and played my demos.  When I started playing video games I didn't have a lot of extra money to spend on them so I had to be choosy.  Now, many years later I think it's payed off.  I don't consider any games that I've purchased to be a waste of my money or time.  I've enjoyed every one of them even if I haven't played them very long.  There are games that I want to get so I can play with my friends but I know that's the only reason why I would get those games and for me it's not worth it.

So, there you have it.  I promise to be more on the ball from now on and post more.  And like I said, feel free to harass me if I'm not.

NEW POLL! - How much of a game do you finish?

Surprise! Surprise!  I have a new poll.  It's brought on by something someone said here combined with something someone else said . . . well, elsewhere, of course.  It's been up for awhile but I forgot to do a post telling you about it.  Anyway, so here it is:

How much of a game do you finish?

I play out everything 100%
I play to get to the end credits, nothing more
I play until I can't beat a boss/challenge
I play as long as I like the game

You have until 5/16 to vote.  Please do.

Poll Results - How do you display your Xbox 360?

I'm sorry for the delay but sometimes life creeps up on you, grabs you by the scruff of the neck and just won't let go. I'm better now. Thank you! Here's the (belated) results of my last poll:

How do you display your Xbox 360?

Horizontal = 3 votes
Vertical = 0 votes
I don't have an Xbox 360 = 0 votes

I've displayed mine horizontal almost all of the time. There was an experimental period when I tried it vertical but it just didn't feel right. I wonder if Zenra's comment about it being a matter of age might have something to do with it. Or maybe it's all that advertising I see. They always have it vertical. It seems that younger people like it vertical and they're more susceptible to advertising than us jaded old folks.

I did have a sales clerk at Gamestop (a young one) tell me when I was buying a new Xbox 360 a while ago tell me to use it horizontal because standing it up on end was what was causing all the Red Rings of Death. Really? I got the RRoD on my first machine and I never stood it up. I guess that's the intelligence of today's youth for you.

The Wii on the other hand just doesn't look right when used horizontally. I don't know why, it just doesn't seem right that way. The PS2 could be done both ways and you could even swing the logo around on the front to match the way you had it set up. Maybe it's my history with the SNES and PS but I never considered playing the PS@ up on end either. It just never felt right. And there was not RRoD to worry about on that machine.

I guess it doesn't really matter how you display it, but how you play the games for the Xbox 360. As long as it works for you, you can be a backwards-stand-on-it's-end type of gamer . . . just remember to let me win.

New Poll - How do you display your Xbox 360?

So how do you like it? Horizontal? Vertical?

How do you display your Xbox 360?

Horizontal
Vertical
I don't have an Xbox 360

All right, now get your head out of the gutter and vote in my poll. sheesh.

Roll Results - Has Gears of War 3 been worth the wait?

So here's the results from my latest poll:

Has Gears of War 3 been worth the wait?

Absolutely YES! = 2 votes
I'm still thinking about it = 2 votes
I'm left disappointed = 0 votes
Hell no! = 2 votes

It actually took me a while to cast my own vote. At the time it came out I had had it with my friends. I couldn't listen to any more whining or bitching. About games or other gamers. I wanted the game but I didn't want to play it with my friends. I would have rather played with no headset and a bunch of strangers. But the call of my friends was too much and for the first week or so of the game's release I played with friends. Only every other night. One night to play. One night to take a break.

When I came to vote in my poll I knew it would be for one of two options, absolutely....or I'm still thinking. When I thought of the online play with friends I started to drift to the other two options. But then I had to stop myself and think. Am I rating playing with my friends or am I rating the game itself?

I voted based on the game itself (minus all the whining friends). And that vote was "Absolutely YES!". Even though I got off to a terrible start playing online that was more to do with getting irritated with players than with the mechanics of the game. If I looked only at the game, I was having fun. I guess that's why playing with strangers and no headset was nice.

I've played more often with my friends and for the most part it's been like how we use to play. Helping each other out. Calling out enemy positions. And working together as a team. That makes me feel so much better. We even worked together over several nights to beat Beast Mode on insane. It took planning and teamwork and we enjoyed every minute of it. (Except for two times when we got to the final round, had one guy left but ran out of time.) I now look forward to more matches with friends in this game.

As to those that voted "Hell no!" I want answers. Tell me why you don't like it.

I already heard from Evil Ric about it and he said it's just more of the same. When I pointed out that Call of Duty games are just more of the same too he said only Gears of War gets his blood pressure up. I actually thinks that's a compliment to the game. You have more invested with Gears so that little things make you angry. With Call of Duty it's ho hum.

No game is going to be perfect or appeal to everyone the same way. But, for me, there is something special about Gears of War. And now if I could just get through the campaign without dying all the time I might like the game even more (if that's possible). Of course I think I bumped up the difficulty thinking I was a Gears veteran so I can handle anything. Although it has been frustrating I'm glad that the third game in the series is still a tough fight and not a cake walk.

New Poll - Has Gears of War 3 been worth the wait?

I HAVE A NEW POLL!!!!

Has Gears of War 3 been worth the wait?

Absolutely YES!
I'm still thinking about it
I'm left disappointed
Hell no!

You have until October 1st to vote, so please do so!

Poll Resuls - Do you like secret achievements?

Why don't you come in really close and I'll tell you a secret . . .

BACK OFF YOU'RE TOO CLOSE!!!!!

Okay, so maybe that wasn't a secret. But if you want me to tell you mine, you've got to tell me yours first.

But onto the poll results. Here they are:

Do you like secret achievements in games?

Yes, I love the mystery of 'em = 0 votes
No, I hate not knowing what to play for = 4 votes
You know, I just don't really care = o votes
For me, nothing stays a secret for long = 1 vote

Well, I voted with the majority. I think orphan summed it up nicely in the comments when I released the poll. If you don't want to look that up he basically said that secret achievements for the story are okay. If you play through everything you'll eventually unlocked them and they won't be a secret anymore. I really like this idea.

As a developer wouldn't you want the people who play your games to discover the story as it unfolds as they play it? If you put in an achievement that states something like "sacrifice your dog to save your life" or "you just married your handsome prince" don't you think, that moment in the story would become less emotionally powerful if the gamer had already seen that "spoiler" on their achievement list?

I have friends who look at the list of achievements as soon as they put the game in, even before they've played any of it. They're looking for information to how the story is going to play out. Are most of the achievement towards the beginning? Towards the end? Are they story based or multiplayer based? If they're looking to get all achievements in a game it helps to know how you might want to play it.

One things Xbox Live does right (IMHO) is that if one of your friends have unlocked a secret achievement it will still show up as secret when you try to look at their achievement list. They earned that secret achievement, now it's time for you to earn it so you can know what it is.

But that's where the problem is. Not all developers put in story based secret achievements. They have secret achievements for doing very specific things that might not fall into the "regular" way someone would play the game. There might be a specific task that you need to perform in a specific area that is not related to elements of the story. If you don't know what those things are you're never going to get that achievement . . . unless you look it up and specifically play the game to do those things. While I can't speak for the developers about that, I don't think that's what they had in mind on how they wanted you to play the game.

And what if you wanted to know what those secret achievements were? You can't find out on Xbox Live so you've got to go to a computer and look them up. There are tons of sights that will tell you what all the achievements are and what you need to do to get them. But if you're playing the game and concentrating on doing a specific thing in a specific area are you really paying any attention to what's actually going on in the story? Is that how we should be playing games?

Now, I've played games trying to do specific things. Like finding all the Intel or cog tags or journals or what-nots that developers like to hide in their games. But those achievements aren't usually secret. The developers WANT you to explore their world and find things. By seeing an achievement that says "find all 50 purple bottle caps" then you know to be on the look out for them as you play. And you'll spend time exploring every nook and cranny in an area to make sure you haven't missed one. If the developers made that achievement secret and your character picked up a purple bottle cap in the game would you even know that it meant something? Probably not.

To sum things up, in general, I don't like secret achievements. But if used wisely, and to prevent gamers from finding spoilers in games, I think they can be very beneficial to playing games. I just don't like it when they make them so secret and selective about what you need to do that you spend almost as much time looking them up as you do playing the game. Because once you know you have to "defeat the Gorgon for killing the love of your life" are you really going to want to play the game when you know what happens?

Poll - Do you want to know a secret?

Psst. Do you want to know a secret? I do. But it's a secret, so I don't know it. Except that I can know it, if I want to take the effort to find out what it is.

Oh, don't look at me like that. I haven't lost my mind. This is my gaming blog so obviously I'm talking about secret achievements. Duh. So here's my latest poll:

Do you like secret achievements in games?

Yes, I love the mystery of 'em
No, I hate not knowing what to play for
You know, I just don't really care
For me, nothing stays a secret for long

Poll Results: What upcoming game are you most excited about?

So here's the results from my latest poll:

What upcoming game are you most excited about?

Gears of War 3 = 4 votes
Modern Warfare 3 = 1 vote
Mass Effect 3 = 1 vote
Elder's Scroll: Skyrim = 3 votes
Batman: Arkham City = 1 vote

I'm both surprised and not surprised by the voting. I'm not surprised that Skyrim got a bunch of votes. I am surprised that MW3 and ME3 didn't get more votes. And I'm surprised that GoW3 got as many votes as it did. Why? I'll tell you.

I have friends that live (and die) for Modern Warfare 2. They won't play anything else besides that. I would have thought the new game would have gotten more votes.

I also know how much critics and fans liked the Batman: Arkham Asylum game and that there's great anticipation for the new one. Several of my friends talk about looking forward to that game so why didn't they vote for it?

I guess I could say the same for Mass Effect. I have friends that have played both previous games several times just to see how changing one thing can impact the game. They can't wait to get in and finish the story and see how their character choices pan out after three games.

As for Gears? Well, I love the game and I can't wait to finish the story. I have several friends (usually the Call of Duty lovers) that have said they're not interested in getting the next Gears. I find that hard to believe, especially with how the voting turned out here. Granted, not all my friends are voting in my poll.

I'm excited if they do get Gears and I look forward to playing with them. The first two Gears games are a couple of the few games I've finished the story on. Since I don't finish games often you might guess that I can't wait for the game to come out. So that's why I voted for it. Of course I will be getting all of those games on the list, I'm just looking forward to the new Gears most of all. I think I'm even going to take some time off work just so I can play the story mode during the day so I can play the multiplayer mode at night.

Now, as for the games NOT on the list . . .

Battlefield 3:
I have several friends who have this game but I only know of one that is really looking forward to this game. While I'd like to play it, it doesn't rank that high up on my "looking forward to" list. Since I know it would only get one vote (if Genghis would ever vote in my poll) I didn't include it.

Halo 4:
I'm a sucker for series. I have all the Halo games (except Halo Wars) and I'll probably get this one too even thought I haven't finished the first one. I just don't like the idea of having the story unfinished. As far as looking forward to it . . . not really. Besides it doesn't come out until next year so I've got time to wait.

BioShock: Infinite:
This is a game that I'm REALLY looking forward to, but it doesn't come out until next year so that is why it wasn't on the list. I read online that this game swept four of the most sought after awards at E3 this year. I've been intrigued ever since I saw the first teaser for it. I can't wait to play it. Maybe my next poll "upcoming" poll will have it, but then again you already know how I'd vote.

Saints Row the Third:
I've heard some good things about this game, but since I've never played the first two and I really don't have any interest in this one, it wasn't on my poll. Sorry Zen (I think you were the one who mentioned it).

So now you all know what games I'll be buying this holiday season . . . and which one I'll most likely be playing. What games are on your wish list and ones that you're looking forward to? Which ones will you pre-order vs. just getting whenever? Leave a comment and let me know.

NEW POLL! What upcoming game are you most excited about?

I know, it's been a long time, but I've got a new poll up. You have until July 8th to vote so make it count. Here it is:

What upcoming game are you most excited about?

Gears of War 3
Modern Warfare 3
Mass Effect 3
Elder's Scroll: Skyrim
the new Batman game

Happy voting!

Oh, and I added a search box to my blog if you want to try that out. Let me know what you think.

Poll Results - Are you getting Bulletstorm?

So here are the latest poll results:

Are you getting Bulletstorm?

Yes, it's going to be a great game = 1 vote
Yes, but only for the Gears 3 beta = 0 votes
Maybe, I'm thinking about it = 0 votes
No way = 4 votes

Okay, I admit I forgot to vote in my own poll. But then again I haven't really made up my mind. Which means I probably would have voted for "maybe". Here's my reasoning for you:

I would get it if I thought it would be a great game. It might be a good game but right now my budget is restricted to great games (and old favorites). I played the demo and I wasn't blown away with it being a 'great' game. For that I'll wait and see after it's come out and people have played it awhile. Maybe it will be a great game. Time will tell.

I did play the demo and while I didn't think it bad I just couldn't get the handle of some of the stuff the game expected me to do. You're expected to kill people with great flourishes and intricate moves. The problem for me is that when I see an enemy I think "shoot first, play with the body later". Bulletstorm seems to be the opposite. They want you to play with the body of your enemy before they actually die. Kick them into a hazard. Throw them up in the air. Stomp on them to stun them. And THEN kill them. I don't want to be creative with my kills. I just want to kill. The problem is you get more points if you do it creatively. The same old boring "aim, fire, kill" won't cut it in this game.

Despite all of that I was/am still thinking about getting the game. Why? Because of the Gears of War 3 beta. Now that is one game that I can't wait for. It should be really interesting how the story ends and whether gamers like the new server based online play instead of hosting. But all that good stuff is also a reason why I don't want to get the game.

I don't want to get the game and play so much of the beta that by the time the whole game comes out I'm partially burned out on the game already. What might be new and exciting for some of my friends might be old hat to me. Now where's the fun in that? It would be like going to the store and picking out your Christmas gifts yourself. They still get wrapped up and placed under the tree but you already know what they are. I would prefer to be surprised and as excited as my friends when Gears 3 comes out.

But on the other hand I really want all the bugs and things fixed so that when I do get online things will play smoothly. So someone has to play the beta and test things out. It will be really interesting to see how the online play changes with servers. Will this make it easier for Weasell to play with the rest of us? I certainly hope so. As much as you hate when the someone on the other team gets host we always enjoyed it when we got it. With a server based game play hopefully that will level the playing field for everyone.

Right now, I'm leaning to NOT get the game. Like I said I've got money set aside for other games that I know I will play. With Bulletstorm it's just a maybe. I'm sure I've got several friends that will get the game for the beta and I hope they test the hell out of it for me. As much as I want the best game possible, I want the best game possible when it was meant to be. And that seems to be this fall. I can't wait to relive unless nights of unless fun with my friends like the old days. If that happens than the wait will be worth it.

New Poll - Are you getting Bulletstorm?

Here's my latest poll:

Are you getting Bulletstorm?

Yes, it's going to be a great game
Yes, but only for the Gears of War 3 beta
Maybe, I'm thinking about it
No way!

You have one week to vote (unless I decide to extend the deadline). I'm very interested in how you all vote. And feel free to put more extensive reasonings as to why you voted the way you did the comments. I like comments. No, I really do.

Poll Results - What do you want for Xmas?

Yes, I know it's now February, but better late than never right?

What do you want most for Christmas?

the latest game = 1 vote
any game = 0 votes
a job = 3 votes
world peace = 0
a date with Pengwenn = 2 votes

(Okay, maybe the "date with Pengwenn" can work in February.)

I didn't vote in this poll. I already have a job (although if I had included an option for a better job I would have voted for that). I already budgeted for all the newest games that I was interested in (although I haven't played many of them because they're sequels). I don't know that collectively as humans we would know what to do with world peace (other than immediately go to war over who brought the world peace or how it should be handled). As for 'a date with Pengwenn' I'm alone with myself all the time and frankly I could use a change.

For those of you who voted for date with me did you think you were going to win the lottery or am I more along the lines of a consolation prize? When I think of which one of you votes for this option I wonder if I'm right. I won't "out" you here, just in case I'm wrong but you can always send me a private message and maybe we can work something out. Heaven knows I should probably get out of the house more often . . . and I don't think hockey games with my brother count.

For those of you looking for work I've got a ton of weeds that need to be pulled, mowed down or just napalmed out of existence. I'd be happy to have you come over and take care of them for me. I probably can't pay you in money, but I can pay you in game time. How about 1 hour pulling weeds = 1 hour of game time with any game I own. I figure if you don't have a job you might not have the money to own or play some of the latest games. And once you're here I'm sure I've got other tasks I might need help with. It think it's a win-win situation. I get some of those hideous tasks completed that I hate to do and you get some play time with some great games. Send me a message if you're interested.

New Poll - What do you want most for Christmas?

Here's my Holiday poll:

What do you want most for Christmas?

the latest game
any game
a job
world peace
a date with Pengwenn

Vote now. Be honest.

Poll Results - Tell me what to play

When I did my blog post for this poll I said if I don't get more than 6 votes I had the right to throw the results out the window and do my own thing . . . unfortunately for me I voted at the last minute and that put the total to 7 votes. So, yes master, I will get to playing the winner, master. Don't beat me master.

And the winner is.....

Which game should I play so I can play the sequel?

Assassin's Creed = 1 vote
Dead Space = 1 vote
Fallout 3 = 1 vote
Mass Effect = 3 votes
Force Unleashed = 1 vote
Marvel Ultimate Alliance = 0 votes
Dragon Age: Origins = 0 votes

Okay, my vote was for Dead Space. That is a sleeper hit that I don't think gets enough attention. When I was checking the poll and found no one voted for it I was sad, so I voted for it. And that is why I have to do your bidding for awhile. What I've played of this game I really like. It scares the hell out of me, but that's a good thing. I can't tell you how many times I've come across a dead body on the floor and spent some time pummeling it into mince meat even long after there was any possibility of the corpse rising up and attacking me. Better to be safe than sorry in that game.

I'm not surprised Marvel and Dragon Age didn't get any votes based on the competition. I'm a little surprised that some of you didn't consider Marvel. I don't know much but I think the story in the second one is a continuation of the first. So if you haven't played the first you won't really understand what's going on in the second. All the more reason to play the first one if you ask me. But I understand the popularity of the other games and I know my friends are tired of not talking about them in front of me.

I do know about the story in Force Unleashed and that it's best to play the first one before playing the sequel. But I guess that game didn't get more votes because the sequel wasn't out until recently so no one knew if it was worth playing. Of course that didn't stop me from buying the sequel. I'll just have to wait to play it until I've played the first one.

I also thought Assassin's Creed would get more votes partly because everyone says the second one is better than the first one. But on the other hand, as far as I know, you don't really need to play through the first one to fully understand what is going on in the second one. Sure, it might help, but it's not necessary.

I expected it to be a dead heat between Fallout 3 and Mass Effect. I know how much time my friends invested in those games so I know they really liked them. I also know that those two games are the ones that they're dying to talk about but I won't let them. I don't mind hearing little things like "you'll have to go to this place and do that" type of stuff. What I don't like is someone blurting out that "your dog dies" in Fable 2. That's a major spoiler to the story. And a central point in your progression of your character. Don't give that information away to someone who hasn't played the game.

There's been too many times when I've been asked to turn down my headset or unplug my mic so my friends can talk about a game. Just last night, while in a room with some friends all playing Fable 3, one of them said I could be in the room if I wanted to but I would probably hear things I wouldn't want to because they were not going to be quiet about it. I stayed and whenever things started to go in the direction of what might be spoilers I just tuned them out and concentrated more on my game than to what they were saying. I was surprised at how well that turned out. I heard some things but since I was concentrating on my game at the moment what they said didn't really sink in. I'm sure when I get to those points in the story things might come back to me but until then I'm safe.

I'm really not surprised Mass Effect got most of the votes. Since you can import your character from the first game into the second one it makes sense that the first one should be played, well, first. You don't have to do that. I know some people, that once they finished the first game they deleted their game save to make room for other games. I also know people that went back and played the first game (for the fourth or fifth time) just so they could have a game save to carry over to the sequel. And the same thing will apply when Mass Effect 3 comes out.

So, since the majority voted for Mass Effect that will be the game that I'll be playing when I'm not getting some multiplayer action with my friends. I have to say I'm not sorry it's that game even though I am daunted by the scope of the game. I know how long it took some of them to play it. And I'll want to play it good. Then I'll want to play it bad. Then I'll want to play it to save this person. Then that person. Make out with this person. Then that person. You get the idea. Now you know why some people have played it multiple times. And that's not counting any difficulty changes.

Now that you've told me what to play, I'm wondering when I get to tell YOU what to play. I've got a new whip that I can't wait to start cracking. Any volunteers?