Episode 2 or Why I changed the title

The Cake is a Lie...but the Cube is Forever!

INTRO:  Now, I might write a review of a game here that you may not agree with.  Hence, my new title of Irrelevant Gamer.  Pretty much anything I say here can be complete bullhockey(my fave non-swear).  For instance and by perfect example I will reveal a deep dark gamer secret about me:  I HATE FINAL FANTASY!!!!  In fact, it's because of these excruciating games, that I cannot stand the entire genre of Japanese RPGs.  POKEMON included.  In fact, that's going to be the last time that title will be mentioned!

NEWS:  Moving on to more happy things.  I am consistently bombarded with ads and interviews about the upcoming titles FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS and FABLE 3.  This has me going giddy every time I hear Nat King Cole's 'Orange Colored Sky' while witnessing the awesomeness of the post-apocalyptic Mojave wasteland!  Of course, the interviews pertaining to FABLE 3's new co-op system has me in a tizzy.  How many characters should/can I have going at one time?  Who of my 360 friends wants to join forces and take back the kingdom for the chickens?  And did my buddy Brady really ask me if my character could get his pregnant?   The answers look promising!  Both titles will be heading my way in October as Collectors Editions!

Now for a little bit o' the bad news.  I don't own a PS3.  But if/when I do, I will be all over the game LITTLE BIG PLANET.  A throwback to the old platformer/puzzle games of the 80's, this title has impressed even me with it's 2 million plus user created levels!  Plus,, Sackboy is just awesome.  Bad news is that LITTLE BIG PLANET 2 has been delayed until next year, which gives me time to convince the wife to let me buy a PS3 for the sole purpose of LBP and good baseball games, which don't exists on any other system. 

WHAT'S IN MY LIBRARY:  This time, I will tell you the awesomeness that is ALAN WAKE.  I'm not much for horror games, which is why I didn't follow this game at the very beginning.  And by very beginning, I mean the 5 years that the gaming community was waiting for this game when it was announced at E3 in '05.  The story is a beautiful tribute to Stephen King, David Lynch and the old Twilight Zone show.  The baddies?  Physical manifestations of Darkness!  How do you fight darkness?  With a flashlight and a shotgun!  When Wake's wife goes missing while on vacation in the Washington state hamlet of Bright Falls, Alan finds himself in the middle of a nightmare where a novel he doesn't remember writing begins to come true!

PROS: Wonderful storytelling and all encompassing soundtrack, this 'first season' is a great addition to any gamers library!

CONS: Controls can be a bit clunky at times, as well as a bit repetitive.  Nowhere near Assassins Creed repetitive though.

GRADE: ALAN WAKE: 8.5

SPECIAL BIASED REPORT:  EPIC - Why BIOWARE is the Best!

Scale.  Something Bioware takes seriously.  From games that encompass entire nations to entire galaxys, Bioware is only concerned with making the player feel outnumbered and small.  Then they give you something else...the perfect companions.  After all, what's a Bioware game without friends, lovers, drunken dwarves, and interplanetary assassins!  Bioware is the studio from which STAR WARS was re-imagined into KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC.  The studio which gave birth to the dark fantasy epic DRAGON AGE.  And the studio that brought us two of the greatest Xbox 360 games ever: MASS EFFECT and MASS EFFECT 2.

There is a few things that these games have in common.  Choice being chief among them.  Are you Light Side, or Dark Side?  Paragon or Renegade?  Will you save the world, or let it burn?  All these choices have consequences that could cause a friend to leave, die or fall in love with you!  You feel immersed in their world, their plight.  You hurt when they do, you cry when they die(unless it's Carth from KOTOR).  Few game studios realize the emotional connection that players can have with these characters.  Would you sacrifice your one true love for the fate of the world?  Will you embrace your destiny?  Or will you make your own?

NEW SEGMENT!

MUST-HAVE ROCKBAND TRACK - The Fratellis - Flathead

OUT NOW:
 - Plants Vs. Zombies
 - Dead Rising 2
 - Borderlands DLC: Claptrap's New Robot Revolution!

NEXT TIME: Why INCEPTION would make a great/suck as a video game.

Episode 1 or Why I made a Gamer Blog.

INTRO: So, this is like my 3rd attempt at a consistent blog.  The 3rd time's the charm, they say.  Well...they say lots of stuff.  The first two didn't seem to have a structure, or real purpose.  This one however, will have a central theme: Gaming.  Why gaming?  Because over the past few years, my life has been consumed with video games, as has my career.  I work in the retail end of the gaming business.  I will not divulge the name of my employer, mainly for fear that they can shut this blog down for whatever reason they want.  They can do that, you know.  Now, I don't have all the major next-gen systems, but I will try to cover them all best as I can.  Now, I'll talk about other stuff too, like what's going on in my life, beer, etc.  I hope that you will find this amusing and a little educational, and that you will keep coming back.

GAMER NEWS:  With fall officially here, and the awesomeness that is the Q3-4 2010 season in full swing, let's recap the big news.  HALO REACH sold $200 million on day one.  'Nuff said.  I am not a HALO fan.  I am however, playing through the campaign, and so far, I'm not bored!  Working in the gaming retail buisness has yielded some perks: I got to check out the game without shelling $60 for it!  I have to bring it back in a few days, but a fair deal for someone who is not ever gonna touch the multiplayer modes.

GRADE: HALO REACH: 7.5 out of 10. (this is just my opinion!!!!)

WHAT'S IN MY LIBRARY:  For the first installment of this, let's pick the very first game that made me really appreciate Next-Gen technology: MASS EFFECT.  This ginormus rpg-shooter is just packed with epicness!  From the fact that you have an entire galaxy to explore, to the amazing story and characters you meet along the way, this game will have you pack 50+ hours into it and never want it to end.  Then again, what do you expect from the makers of the greatest STAR WARS game: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC.

PROS:  Breathtaking graphics and superb storytelling makes this game a must-have.  Plus Seth Green is in it!

CONS: The Mako tank is a bit tough to manuver...and those elevator rides...<Shudder>

GRADE:  MASS EFFECT: 9.0


COMING SOON:  While at work today, I glanced at my pre-order list.  I found something awesome for my ADD and something bad for my bank account: From Sept. 28th - Oct. 26th, every Tuesday, I have a new release coming!  And what are those?

Sept. 28th: Plants Vs. Zombies (360)
Oct. 5th: Fable 3 controller (360)
Oct. 12th: Super Scribblenauts (DS)
Oct. 19th: Fallout New Vegas Collectors Ed. (360)
Oct. 26th: Fable 3 Collectors Ed. (360), The Sims 3 (360)

ON THE LOOKOUT FOR 2010:
Dead Rising 2 (360/PS3)
Need For Speed Hot Pursuit (360/PS3)
Goldeneye (Wii)


NEXT TIME:  Epic: Why Bioware is the best in the Biz.

If you have a game you want featured or ideas for columns or segments, please comment or e-mail me!