To game, or not to game. That is the question! October.

Yesterday September 26th, was my Twenty third birthday on this earth. It like most other years comes and goes, and then it's back to normal life. My brother/Sister-in-law, as always didn't even get me a card, but then again, neither did my parent's, they however got me a 5 quart kitchenaide stand mixer, in Onyx. Something that I personally have been asking for, for a very long time. This fall, I hope to attend baking school at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. I enjoy baking, and pastry arts, for some reason I like the concept of being able take something, and absolutely build upon it, to either further it along, or to create something new and enjoyable.

This post however isn't really about any of that stuff, this is a post about the fall season, about each game that is coming out, and how busy the fall gaming season will be. Yesterday I purchased "Warhammer Online" because several people told me that it would be well worth my time. I do enjoy it, I enjoyed it enough that I even installed it on my laptop to play when I'm connected to the internet and not at home (So really to play at billys house when I'm hanging out while he is doing homework.) It's not WoW but it is sure close enough to be mighty enjoyable. I can't wait to see what the game brings as I get further into it.

October a month that is going to bring some of this year's biggest games to the table. The most looked after games however that I want to play will be the ones that I am going to discuss, they will be the ones that I find to be important to this years gaming sales, as well as be major "Game of the Year" contenders, or at least on their respective consoles be major games for those.

Dead Space: (as taken from Wikipedia.org Dead Space) Set in the distant future, Dead Space revolves around Isaac Clarke, a space engineer who works for the Concordance Extraction Corporation (C.E.C), a company that operates "giant mining ships" throughout the galaxy. His company receives a distress call from the USG Ishimura, a “Planet Cracker” class ship that destroys planets in order to extract valuable ore. Assuming that a mechanical failure is the only problem, Isaac and two other C.E.C employees set out to rendezvous with the Ishimura. However, they discover that the ship has been overrun by Necromorphs, a hostile alien race dependent upon necrotic flesh. Separated from his party, Isaac must survive the Necromorph infestation and battle his way to safety through the Ishimura's various environments.

This game offers some things that yes we have seen in the past. It has the Survival Horror game play, it takes place in space, and it involves humans being taken over by some crazy ass alien lifeforms. Like I said, this isn't at all anything new to the gaming world. This game however does seem to be taking it in a direction that might freshen it up, and help build a future for this game. I've always been a fan of the survival horror game type way back since Resident Evil, and Dino Crisis (Yes, I did say Dino Crisis). Resident Evil helped build a game type that really put players on the edge of their seats, waiting for that next scare, whether it came from a window, a wall, or a ceiling.

Dead Space offers a couple of new additions to the gameplay that I personally think seem very interesting. In some areas of the game, you can actually turn off the gravity of the game, so everything is floating around, and then turn it on, and watch it all fall down back to the group. This does however also include the player which might be a little off and could end up falling as well. The creatures in this game need to be completely decaptitated to be destroyed, otherwise they simply regrow themselves and continue to attack the player. This game if done right, could be game of the year just like Bioshock was, simply because it is going to offer gameplay and story that is refreshing, and different from what we get to play all the time.

Fable 2: Fable 2 is the sequel to the Fable, the 2004 game by Lionhead Studios. It takes place 500 years after the first game. I was very pleased with the first Fable, even though many felt let down because of the way Peter Molyneux (Director of both games) built up how great the game was going to be, and how it could end up changing RPGs from then forward. Fable 2 is going to have a lot in common with the first, but several new additions that are going to help build up the game as Peter says. The game will offer a Dog that will be with you about 90% of the game. This dog is going to offer some help in your quest, as well as keep you on the right path, and help find things that the player might not be able to see him/her self. This isn't really a game that I can perceive as being Game of the Year, but in today's gaming world it's hard to truly tell until the game is in your system, and your completing quest, or objective.

LittleBigPlanet: LittleBigPlanet is a game that when said might seem a little strange. It might not seem like the type of game that would really even appeal to people over the age of maybe 12. LittleBigPlanet however does appeal to people over 12, as it is offering something a little different to the gamers whom pick it up and play it. The game will come with preloaded levels, allowing the user to play and obtain different items from the built levels. The major part of LittleBigPlanet however is that it also offers the use the ability to custom build their own levels, adding an almost limitless items, and pieces to their levels. The ability to build just about anything they could possibly think up. Whether it be a level where it is rebuilt from something seen in Mario Bros, or something from Zelda, or even Tetris (I have seen someone build a Tetris Level, It just needed the Old School Russian Music). It also offers the ability to customize your SackBoy (The little creature you play the game as) with different outfits, and looks. This may not be Game of the Year either, but I personally believe that this is going to help sell the Playstation 3, and I know I am glad I own one. I really look forward to playing this game, this october.

Tomorrows games today!

This past week, a game came out on the Xbox Live Arcade. That game was the "Pub Games" that was released ahead of "Fable II" which comes out this fall. The Pub games allow you to gamble and gain or lose money for when you buy Fable II. Today I was surfing through several sites that I check on a day to day basis, and found myself looking at a post from "Major Nelson AKA Larry Hryb" from Microsoft. He was playing the Pub games and had left his home office for a short bit and came back to find his wife, whom doesn't really play games at all was in the midst of playing his pub games. Apparently she had put his character into debt by losing a large sum of his character's gold.

These are the types of situation's that keep people from letting others play their games, because of the possible loss of either money, or items or really anything else you could possibly lose. Now while these situations are not all that common, it can be a rather pain for people, because of all the time and effort they put into their games, or personal characters. I personally am very picky about my character's and games because I just don't trust people all that well.

Below I have posted a link to the post by Major Nelson.

Major Nelsons Blog!

The future of Gaming.

Today I found myself playing "Elder Scroll's IV: Oblivion - The Shivering Isle's" and I am proud to say I actually beat it as well today. The game is so fantastic and it brought me into a thought, a basic thought of where I began as a child to where I am today with gaming.

In the year 1985 I was brought forth onto this world from my mother's womb, and over a few year's I slowly managed to be able to grasp the idea of how to play games. Starting with the NES my first game, to this day I remember it like it just happened, the first game I played was Super Mario, just watching as I ran through so many levels trying to get further into the game. Then I slowly moved on to game's like Duck Hunt, and Legend of Zelda, others such as Metroid, and Mega Man. These were game's that helped pull my generation into the gaming world, these were some of the first game's that today's gamers started playing and grew up with.

So many year's later, with today's advancement's in console technology, as well as million's of dollar's to funnel into game design we have slowly become a spoiled bunch. Always excepting sometimes the same things over and over again, but always finding joy when some company releases a game that is new and exciting. Game's that truly push the boundaries of today's technologies as well as pushing the gameplay as far as possible. I personally wish I could see into the future and see where tomorrow's gaming is going to be. Just the idea of what possibly the future could hold for us, and really bring to the console or the PC to push even further.

Companies like Nintendo and Sony, and Microsoft always trying to find a way to pull new people into their consoles. Whether it be the use of a Wii-Mote, or just a good history of Console exclusives, or even having the best online service of all the consoles (Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft respectively). Yesterday's gaming, and game's will just not be the same as tomorrow's way of gaming, and the game's that the companies will offer to the very consumers who keep each company going.

Fallout 3 - Bethesda

Bethesda, a company that every time I say their name, the first thing that comes to mind is "Morrowind". A game that pulled me into Elder Scroll's, and made me enjoy everything that Bethesda Softworks has to offer. Recently I fell into this phase, this phase that make's me want to find and read all information on Fallout 3. I never played any of the other Fallout game's, simply because I didn't really like the topdown "Diablo-Esque" view as I call it.

Bethesda is a master in the art of open world RPG's, that contain not only fascinating stories, but also open up a world like no other. Playing an "Elder Scroll's" game is like reading an excellent fantasy novel, it allows your mind to wander about and enjoy all it offer's the player/reader. Oblivion was and still is a fantastic game, a game that I personally play on an almost daily basis. Since Morrowind I've always chosen to play as a Kahjitt, who is more aligned to be a thief, since I do join the thieves guild right off. Both Morrowind and Oblivion offer so much to the player, and It's a game that I recommend to many many people.

Fallout 3 is going to be Game of the Year. That is something I promise to everyone, because Bethesda makes nothing but AAA titles. Fallout 3 is going to pull people into the Fallout world, both Fallout 1 and 2 are going to sell again just so people can get a better understanding of the series and see where it started, and where it has come too since Bethesda picked it up and started building Fallout 3 in 2004.

My thought's right now on Xbox Live

I called Microsoft My Xbox number, after talking to Max (Some bullshit Automated Response System) I had to answer a few questions and then were finally sent to a person. My Xbox Live account billed my Bank Account, but I didnt have the money in there at the time and so it couldn't pay for the account. I bought a three month card to handle that since I bought a laptop and things are a little tight right now. The card won't let me enter it, and my account is suspended till I pay the $50 it cost for my account. The problem is, I can't pay the account because I cant get access on my 360 into my Live account. It goes to my account and then kicks me back to the dashboard blades. Right now I'm a little frustrated, OK check that, I am a hell of a lot more frustrated then I was when I called. I am so tired of calling someone and having to speak with someone in another country, because our country is so god damn lazy to pay people to sit behind phones and work tech support. Instead we deal with people we can barely understand. It's no wonder our country is falling apart and so poor. We pay everyone else and never ourselves.