5. Major League Baseball 2K10 (360)
There was some debate for that #5 slot, as Pac Man Championship Edition DX for the Xbox Live Arcade andWheel of Fortune for the Wii both made a good case to trump Major League Baseball 2K10. Pac Man Championship Edition DX is one of the more fun experiences I’ve had this year, especially with XBLA releases. It has excellent arcade action, lots of replayability, and nice, vibrant, HD graphics. Wheel of Fortune, though a casual Wii game, stands out in my memory because it is a great representation of my favorite classic game show. In the end, though, I couldn’t leave Major League Baseball 2K10 off the list.

There is no denying that MLB 10: The Show is the more complete baseball game out this year, and the most realistic. When it comes to baseball, like basketball, I prefer the game be fun more so than completely realistic. Major League Baseball 2K10 is just that: fun. Admittedly my time outside the My Player section is limited, but that mode alone made the game worth my $60 purchase. The pitching and batting mechanics are unique to this series, and some may call them “gimmicky”, but they give me more control over what is happening on the diamond, and in the end, make it a more immersive experience. That immersion factor alone is why I preferred Major League Baseball 2K10 over the Playstation 3 king, MLB 10: The Show.

4. Battlefield Bad Company 2 (360)
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for Xbox 360 is an example of a company getting online multiplayer right. This is one of the only online shooters I enjoy playing, and will continue to overtake the Call of Duty series on my consoles when I want to play online, which is why this ends up in my #4 slot of the year. The online gameplay, complete with destructible environments, is slower-paced, and rewards gamers for playing a smart match, working together to destroy the enemy. Not only this, but I have a friend whom I play with online, which makes the experience that much better.

3. Call of Duty: Black Ops (360)
Battlefield might win the multiplayer battle, hands down, but what matters most for me is the single player experience. Call of Duty: Black Ops (360) has a wonderful campaign mode that, although relatively short, made the game worth buying. I love the use of licensed music in the game because it is able to bring out that 1970s feel. The guns, while good, are not the best in the series, but the graphics are top notch. This is another game that is simply fun to play, which is all that matters to me in the long run. The story was interesting and coherent, unlike last year’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which places Call of Duty: Black Ops as my #3 game of the year.

2. Heavy Rain (PS3)
Heavy Rain blew me away from start to finish. The demo had me chomping at the bit for its release, and it sits on top of my pile of PS3 exclusives. The first thing one notices about this game when he or she turns it on is the stellar graphics. These are, by far, the best I have seen in any video game, with the rain graphics topping even Bioshock’s water graphics. The story, though obviously flawed, grabbed my girlfriend and I and forced us to finish to find out where it would go. I didn’t see the end coming from a mile away, and it pulls at the heartstrings. This game is beautiful, and is the best narrative game I have played since inFAMOUS. If I weren’t such a sports fanatic, this would easily be on top of my list. This is a PS3 exclusive that makes me proud to own the system.

1. NCAA Football 11 (360)
Usually by this time (December) I have moved from football to hockey in my video game repertoire, and I usually stick with hockey through the summer. This year, though, things have changed. NHL 11 has not garnered my love yet, in part because I wasn’t able to find good sliders until this past week, but more in part to the fact that NCAA Football 11 (360) is such an incredible experience. Back in August I posted my deepest review to date, and it covers virtually every though I had about NCAA Football 11 at the time. As I played even more, though, I was able to appreciate an aspect of the game I merely touched on for the review: TeamBuilder. Using that same team I tested the mode with for my review, the Rochester Warfrogs, I have played through two seasons and a half season (without simulating a single game) and am on the path for a National Title this season. I’ve devoted over 60 hours into this title this year, which is infinitely more than any other 2010 release. On the field, the gameplay is spot on, and by far the best football experience to be found. I tried giving Madden NFL 11 its fair shake, but something was missing from that title, and it is a purchase I regret (though I would love to see GameFlow make it in to NCAA Football 12). The year 2010 might not go down as a memorable one in terms of sports gaming, but NCAA Football 11 is still the one game I had the most fun with all year, and it is looking to take a lot of my playing time until next year’s iteration drops in July.

*This was originally written for DieHard GameFAN. It can be found here.

2010 Christmas Haul

Video Games:
-Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)
-Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (NDS)
-Medal of Honor: Limited Edition (PS3)
-Pac-Man Party (Wii)*
-Playstation Move Starter Bundle (Playstation Eye Camera, Playstation Move Controller, Sports Champions Game)
-Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition (PS3)
-The Sly Collection (PS3)*

Movies:
-Alien Anthology BD (Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien 4)
-AvP Unrated 2-Pack BD (Alien vs. Predator & Alien vs. Predator: Requiem)
-Back to the Future Trilogy BD*
-Batman Begins BD
-Boy Meets World: The Complete First Season DVD
-Boy Meets World: The Complete Second Season DVD
-Boy Meets World: The Complete Third Season DVD
-Harry Potter: Years 1-6 DVD**
-Hostel Part II BD
-House M.D.: Season Five DVD**
-House M.D.: Season Four DVD**
-House M.D.: Season One DVD**
-House M.D.: Season Six DVD*
-House M.D.: Season Three DVD**
-House M.D.: Season Two DVD**
-iRobot BD
-James Bond: Dr. No DVD
-James Bond: For Your Eyes Only DVD
-James Bond: From Russia with Love DVD
-James Bond: Live and Let Die DVD
-James Bond: Octopussy DVD
-James Bond: The Living Daylights DVD
-James Bond: Thunderball DVD
-King Kong Deluxe Extended Edition Gift Set DVD*
-Knocked Up: 2-Disc Collector’s Edition DVD**
-Maniac BD
-Natural Born Killers BD
-Predator 2 BD
-Predator: Ultimate Hunter Edition BD
-Resident Evil: Afterlife BD*
-Scooby Doo Where Are You! – The Complete Series DVD (w/collectable Mystery Van)
-Taken BD
-The A-Team BD/DVD/Digital Combo Pack*
-The Godfather Trilogy BD
-The Other Guys BD*
-The Princess Bride BD/DVD Combo Pack
-The Town BD/DVD/Digital Combo Pack
-The X-Files: I Want to Believe DVD
-Wanted BD

Books:
-151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen by Leonard Maltin*
-501 Most Notorious Crimes
-If Chins Could Kill by Bruce Campbell*
-My Year of Flops by Nathan Rabin*

Misc.:
-42” Panasonic Viera Plasma 1080p HDTV (parents paid for half of this)
-Dan Cleary Premier Detroit Red Wings NHL Jersey
-Engraved Pocket Knife (w/Anniversary Date)
-Original 6 NHL Plaque

*Bought after Christmas w/Christmas money.
**Actually Bridgette’s gift, but we live together, so…yeah.

There it is! This is obviously more for me than anything, just so I have it all written down in one place, but I thought someone else might be as interested as I am in knowing what others received for Christmas.

5. MLB 10: The Show (PS3)
What I Said: The only reason this game isn’t higher on my list is due to the fact that I don’t follow baseball as closely as football and hockey, but that doesn’t change the fact that MLB 11 will be a wonderful game. Looking at what is already confirmed for the game makes it a must-own for me, even though I’m not a baseball nut. Hell, they could have just repackaged MLB 09: The Show with a roster update, and the game would be great…ok, that’s an exaggeration. But, the point is that MLB 09: The Show was such a great game that the developers don’t have TOO much to change. With the emphasis coming to the online league updates, this title will be another great reason to own a Playstation 3.
My Hype Rating: 4 Stars
Actual Result: Played this for a total of around 2 hours. Major League Baseball 2K10 was much more my style, given at was much less realistic than MLB 10, and easier to get into. I should have realized this when I put this on my list back in January. Oh well. Fail.

4. Madden NFL 11 (360)
What I Said: Madden 10 was/is fantastic. The online franchise has made this games replayability skyrocket for me. But, what is missing is CONTRACTS! If Madden 11 adds in the ability to deal with contracts in your online franchises, it will be even better. There can be some AI tweaks to make the game even more realistic, and improvements done with the animations (see Backbreaker for great tackling animations). Madden 11 has the chance to skyrocket to number 1 of my list if it does the little things correctly.
My Hype Rating: 4 Stars
Actual Result: What a disappointment this game has been. The developers touched virtually nothing in terms of online or offline franchises, deeming this title worthless to me. The only redeeming quality is the surprisingly playable GameFlow added. I am about to go back to this one, though, simply because I want some more NFL action. I have been playing the living hell out of NCAA Football 11, and want to move my coaching style to the majors to see what happens. Another fail.

3. NHL 11 (PS3)
What I Said: In my opinion, NHL 10 was absolute rubbish. Sure, it looked sexy, but the AI issues were too much for me to overcome, and has made the game unplayable. It is the most overrated sports title I have ever come across. With that in mind, I think the team at EA will make the AI changes needed, and improve upon the already beautiful interface and graphics and this will be great again, like NHL 09 was. Where this series needs a major overhaul is in the player models. With the success that NHL 2K10 had in making excellent player models (even 4th line players look like there human counterparts- but there is still some mistakes across the board), I believe that NHL 11 will take notice to that and improve in this coming outing.
My Hype Rating- 3 Stars
Actual Result: When I wrote this back in January, if someone would have told me I would go on to rack up over 105 hours of gameplay into NHL 10, I would have said they were jackasses. Alas, I was the jackass. Once I found the right sliders, NHL 10 became my go-to game, even over my much-praised-below NHL 2K10. I can barely go back to NHL 2K10 anymore. I will refrain from any ridiculous statements on NHL 11 for the time being, though, as I have just found a good set of sliders that has managed to bring me a very fun game. The jury is still out on whether or not this was a good prediction.

2. NHL 2K11 (360)
What I Said: NHL 2K10 is, without a doubt, with the correct sliders, the greatest game of simulation hockey ever created. It is truly the epitome of “diamond in the rough”. With that said, the chances that the series are over are about 50/50 in my mind. But, if 2K11 gets made, it will be a big turnaround for the series. It will be a better game than 2K10 out of the box, and for that reason, it will garner much better publicity. Oh yeah, 2K might actually advertise the game this year!
My Hype Rating- 5 Stars
Actual Result: This is the saddest prediction in the lot, simply because this was never released. NHL 2K11 became a Wii-exclusive just a few months after my original post. That said, I haven’t played game at all. NHL 2K12, on the other hand…THAT will be stellar! Third fail.

1. FIFA Soccer 11 (360/PS3)
What I Said: FIFA 10 has got me semi-obsessed with the sport, and has taken soccer gaming to a whole new level that I never thought would be possible by EA. FIFA 11 is sure to add to the amazing gameplay in FIFA 10, and hopefully make improvements where it is needed, such as the Manager Mode.
My Hype Rating- 4 Stars
Actual Result: My final fail of the night. I have been cash strapped so I haven’t been able to purchase this one, and my buddy told me that because I am a casual fan, it wasn’t really worth the upgrade. I actually went on from this to play soccer over the summer, which was a helluva good time. I was terrible, but I had a blast. I even managed to score a goal…on my own net. Oops. Anyway, I will be sticking with FIFA 10 until this bad boy drops in price.

All in all my predictions were terrible. The one game that has been sucking up my free time since the summer (when I let go of my NHL 10 addiction) has been NCAA Football 11, a game that I didn’t even mention above. I am sure I will post another prediction post in a few weeks time. Hopefully this one will be a bit more accurate.

Thanks for reading.

Let’s get to the game.

#21 West Virginia University (8-2) (5-0) @ #13 University of Pittsburgh (8-2) (4-1)

The game starts out in typical WVU fashion, with the first quarter being dreadful.  Pitt is able to take a 21-0 lead with 1:37 left of the second quarter.  It looks like the underdog is the underdog for a reason.  During this time, were two fumbles on bad tosses from QB Geno Smith to HB Noel Devine on option plays, and one fumble by Devine as he tried pushing through the middle.  Simply put: nothing is going right for WVU, and nothing is going wrong for Pitt.

But if ended up that way, no one would be reading this.

WVU gets the ball back with less than two minutes in the half, and they look to make something happen.  The first play, Geno drops back and tosses up a prayer:

VIDEO 1

The ball deflects off of at least two Pitt players and miraculously ends up in the hands of WVU WR Brandon Starks.  Starks is able to break a tackle and hit paydirt to bring WVU back to life.  Since they are receiving in the second half, the morale on the sideline is good (score on the opening possession of the second half, and the lead is down to one possession).

WVU defensive tackle Nield has some other plans.  Pitt decides to throw the ball to try and get some points out of the half, which proves to be a bad decision:

VIDEO 2

Nield, all 300 pounds of him, intercepts the ball and runs it back 53 yards to cut the lead to only 7 with 0:38 left in the half.  The excitement doesn’t end there, however, as WVU decides to use it’s timeouts to stretch the half.  They are able to hold Pitt to a 3-and-out, and get the ball back on a punt.  Going to the air, TE Tyler Urban makes a nice 24-yard gain on a pass from Geno Smith, which puts them in excellent field goal range.  Instead of going for the kick, sophomore QB Smith thinks he has enough time for one more play.  This is a big mistake, as he tries for Urban again but the pass falls incomplete as time expires.  The three-point opportunity is wasted, and the game goes to halftime with WVU down 14-21 to the favored Panthers of Steel City.

Pitt comes out strong defensively in the third, forcing an interception off Geno Smith.  The worst-case scenario for WVU comes true as Pitt capitalizes with another 6 points, making the score 14-28 Pitt with 2:53 left in the third.

WVU is able to take a long drive down the field, effectively eating up all of the rest of the third quarter, but they are rewarded with a 9-yard Noel Devine rushing touchdown.  21-28 Pitt at the end of 3.

Like it usually is, the fourth quarter provides the magic of tonight’s football game, and is why students from both West Virginia and Pitt look forward to Backyard Brawl each and every season.

Pitt starts with the ball and, as expected, they move to a run-first offense.  The one passing play they decide to do results in a huge 32-yard gain, and gets them inside the 10-yard line.  The clock keeps ticking, and WVU is forced to start using timeouts as Pitt lets the play clock run down to the last second before snapping the ball.  An offside call pushes them back a bit, and eventually they will get to a third down.  The Pitt sideline decides they want to go to the air one last time to try and seal the ball game.  The result?  Controversial to say the least:

VIDEO 3

Fumble?  Incomplete pass?  The officials and the booth agreed that this was, in fact, a fumble, and the big guy from the first half comes up huge yet again, giving WVU the miracle they so desperately needed.  With no timeouts remaining, this is the type of play that usually only happens in dreams, but there it was on the frozen tundra of Heinz Field.

WVU was far from their fairytale ending, however, as they find themselves down by 7 with 1:40 on the clock, with the ball on Pitt’s 5-yard line.  From here, Geno Smith makes a game saving play by tossing the ball out of bounds when Pitt brought the blitz on the first snap.  Geno then runs an option play, making it third and goal on the 2-yard line.  An overzealous defensive line earns an encroachment call, making it 3^rd and goal on the 1.  The ball is snapped, and Geno tosses it to the right to Noel Devine, who pushes his way through the trenches and into the endzone, tying up the Backyard Brawl at 28 with 1:07 left to play.

Pitt gets the ball back and starts running some short passing plays to get to around their own 40-yard line.  Then, disaster strikes for Pitt when HB Dion Lewis catches a screen pass and collides with the freight train in the form of Sidney Glover:

VIDEO 4

Glover jars the balls loose, and junior CB Keith Tandy picks it up and steps out of bounds.  WVU has possession of the ball inside Pitt’s 40 with 0:52 left and zero timeouts.

Staying conservative, Geno tosses an easy screen pass for 7 yards to start the drive.  A 3-yard rush by Devine, and then a 16-yard QB scramble up the middle by Geno himself follows.  He is unable to get out of bounds, but the clock will stop until the chains are set.  With 0:23 left in the 4^th, WVU hustles it’s special teams unit onto the field, lead by sophomore Tyler Bitancurt.  With 0:02 left on the clock, the ball is snapped:

VIDEO 5

A perfect kick right through the middle, and West Virginia University upsets the Pitt Panthers in the Backyard Brawl for the second straight season!  This was a circus game, but one I will never forget.

Final Score:
#21 WVU Mountaineers 31
#13 Pitt Panthers 28

Aftermath:
Pitt (8-3, 4-2) falls to #18 in the BCS (#19 in Coaches and Media Polls).
WVU (9-2, 6-0) rises to #14 in all three polls.

Up next for WVU is the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers University (8-3, 4-2).

**Note my apologies that the videos are not embedded, but I could not figure it out. This is best I can do right now. Thanks for reading.**

I have scanned in all the covers of my purchases, and here they are:

I, Zombie #1 by Chris Roberson (writer), Michael Allred (artist), Todd Klein (letterer), Laura Allred (colorist). $1.00, Color, Vertigo.

Why I Bought It: I love zombies.

Favorite Quote: “But were-terrier or not, he’s still a guy…”

This is a brand new series from Vertigo, and one that prompted me to start collecting single issue comics instead of strictly graphic novels. I, Zombie follows the story of Gwen Dylan – a zombie – who works as a gravedigger during the day (and night). Her only girlfriend is that of a ghost from the 1960′s. In order to not go “all Night of the Living Dead, Gwen is forced to dig up a meal – a brain – for food once a month. When she eats someone’s brain, she receives their thoughts, and then proceeds to fulfill their final requests.

In the first issue, you get to meet Gwen and her friend Ellie, and a man who is madly in love with her: Scott (or “Spot”, as she likes to call him). Along the way we are also introduced to a (right now) random group of vampires, and two detective-like characters that are out searching for answers to the “increase in postmortem activity in [Eugene, Oregon] during the last year”. This is the first issue, so I didn’t come in expecting a story climax or anything like that, and I didn’t get one either. This is a “welcome to…” issue, and it does a fine job of setting the scene of Eugene, Oregon, and gives us a great feel of Gwen and her friends.

This is definitely not your standard Romero zombie comic, but I think it has something unique enough to offer to keep me interested. If you’re looking for a new series to get into, or just like anything zombie related such as myself, you can’t go wrong with I, Zombie because it will only cost you $1.00.

Jonah Hex: Special Edition #1 by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti (writers), Luke Ross (artist), Jason Keith (colorist), Rob Leigh (letterer). $1.00, Color, DC.

Why I Bought It: I saw the preview for this new movie when Bridgette and I went to see Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) Friday night. It looked decent…mostly because Megan Fox is in it.

Favorite Quote: “Taking more than three decades of trials and unimaginable suffering as evidence, he could say with every measure of confidence that God hated him. And to his credit, Jonah returned the favor as often as he could.”

If this would have been any more than $1, I would have passed on it. Not (necessarily) because I didn’t think I would like it, but more so because this is actually a reprint of a series that is already available in graphic novel form. This is the first chapter of the Jonah Hex: Face Full of Violence graphic novel.

It has done an excellent job of getting me excited for the rest of the story. Jonah Hex is a bad ass cowboy who knows only how to kill, and kill well. In this issue, he is asked by a wealthy man to help find his son who went missing a few weeks ago. The cops couldn’t help, so the man turns to Hex to find his son. I won’t give away the story, but this one issue builds to a resolution, but still manages to give me that “what happens next” feeling. I really enjoy the character of Jonah Hex, and I will definitely be picking this graphic novel up to learn more about him. The art style fits great for this western-themed comic. This one is definitely worth a try; if you don’t want to take the risk on the whole TPB, just pick up the $1.00 chapter 1 issue like I did.

American Vampire #1 by Scott Snyder and Stephen King (writers), Rafael Albuquerque (artist), Dave Mccaig (colorist), Steve Wands (letterer). $3.99, Color, Vertigo.

Why I Bought It: Bridgette is big into vampires, and I enjoy them when they are not involved with the Twilight saga, so I picked it up.

Favorite Quote: “If my instincts are correct, he’ll gobble you right up.”

This is interesting in that it contains two different writers, two different settings, but two not-so-different stories. The first one, entitled “Big Break” follows two young actresses in their day-to-day life. One of the actresses gets invited to a dinner party with the famous producer, and the story goes from there. All the while, there is a strange man watching the two women near the pool of their apartment. Being that the story is set in 1925, the women do not seem to concerned about him (this does pre-date Ted Bundy after all). What drove this story along was the characters – they were sparkling with charm and I couldn’t help but love them.

That story builds to a “to be continued” box, and then we start in on the Stephen King half of the issue – “Bad Blood” – and the setting shifts to the old west in 1880. This is where we are introduced to this strange man mentioned above. Admittedly, this story was a bit more difficult to follow for me, and I wasn’t sure if the guy was, in fact, the same man from the first story at the beginning. However, I can look past the confusing transitions thanks to the great artwork, and the engaging storyline being played out.

I am glad I bought both issue #1 and #2 today, because I am definitely interested in reading what happens next. Hopefully, if this is going to be episodic like this (we meet a new character each issue, and then-), that each character will be as memorable as the first couple they have introduced. It is also important to note that this is also a reprint, and American Vampire is already available as a TPB. That might be the way to go for this one, but I will better be able to judge that after I finish the second issue. The TPB is obviously a better bargain, seeing as each single issue is $4 (although I think it is worth it given the quality of content included).

Free Comic Book Day (May 1, 2010) – The Loot

Comics I Got for Free:

1. Agents of Atlas
2. Aliens
3. Amazing Spider-Man, The (606)
4. Armory Wars, The (Volume 2, Issue 1)
5. Armory Wars, The (Volume 2, Issue 3)
6. Artifacts (#0)
7. Astounding Wolf-Man, The (2)
8. Astounding Wolf-Man, The (4)
9. Batman: Catwoman – Last Rites (685)
10. Black Terror
11. Black Terror, The (No. 2)
12. Blackest Night
13. Bongo: Comics Free-for-All! (2009)
14. Bongo: Comics-for-All! (2010)
15. Cars: The Rookie
16. Casey Blue: Beyond Tomorrrow (#2)
17. Cyber Force Hunter/Killer
18. Fractures Fables
19. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (#155 ½)
20. Green Hornet
21. Incorruptable
22. Oni Press Free for All!
23. Previews (May, 2010)
24. Radical Preview Comic
25. Shrek/The Penguins of Madagscar
26. Sonic the Hedgehog: Hide & Seek & Destroy
27. Sonic: Evolution of a Hero
28. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
29. Storm Lion (#0)
30. The Avengers
31. The Tick
32. Toy Story
33. War of the Superman
34. Weathercraft and Other Unusual Tales
35. Who Wants to be a Superhero?
36. Wolverine: Origin on an X-Man
37. X-Men
    Graphic Novels I Bought On-Sale:
38. 100 Bullets: First Shot, Last Call
    1. Publisher – Vertigo
    2. Volume # – 1
    3. Cover Price – $9.99
    4. Sale – 25% Off
39. A Nightmare on Elm Street
    1. Publisher – Wildstorm
    2. Volume # – N/A
    3. Cover Price – $14.99
    4. Sale – 25% Off
40. Ex Machina: The First Hundred Days
    1. Publisher – Wildstorm
    2. Volume # – 1
    3. Cover Price – $9.99
    4. Sale – 25% Off
41. Grimm Fairy Tales
    1. Publisher – Zenescope
    2. Volume # – 1
    3. Cover Price – $15.99
    4. Sale – 10% Off
42. Grimm Fairy Tales
    1. Publisher – Zenescope
    2. Volume # – 3
    3. Cover Price – $15.99
    4. Sale – 25% Off
43. Piper, The
    1. Publisher – Zenescope
    2. Volume # – N/A
    3. Cover Price – $15.99
    4. Sale – 25% Off
44. Preacher: Gone to Texas
    1. Publisher – Vertigo
    2. Volume # – 1
    3. Cover Price – $14.99
    4. Sale – 25% Off
45. Preacher: Until the End of the World
    1. Publisher – Vertigo
    2. Volume # – 2
    3. Cover Price – $14.99
    4. Sale – 25% Off
46. Scalped: Indian Country
    1. Publisher – Vertigo
    2. Volume # – 1
    3. Cover Price – $9.99
    4. Sale – 25% Off
47. Tales from Wonderland
    1. Publisher – Zenescope
    2. Volume # – 1
    3. Cover Price – $12.99
    4. Sale – 10% Off
48. Unknown Soldier: Haunted House
    1. Publisher – Vertigo
    2. Volume # – 1
    3. Cover Price – $9.99
    4. Sale – 25% Off

    Graphic Novels I Owned Before FCBD (All TBP Unless Noted):

    1. Batman: Arkham Asylum
    2. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
    3. Civil War: Captain America
    4. Civil War: X-Men
    5. The Walking Dead (Compendum #1 – Contains Issues 1-48; Volumes 1-6)
    6. Watchmen
    7. Y: The Last Man (Deluxe Edition Book #1 – Contains Volumes 1-2)
    8. Y: The Last Man – One Small Step (Volume #3)
    9. Y: The Last Man – Safeword (Volume #4)

Carmen Sandiego: S-4

Enjoy, and feel free to comment either here, @DHGFPsymin (or @Psymin1) on Twitter, or at the DHGF article.

Thanks for reading.

When I signed up for Twitter I never expected to use it too much, let alone have it be the source for my first writing job. But, thanks to stumbling upon Chris Bowen’s twitter account, and later the DHGF website (which he works for), I am now allowed to pursue a budding passion of mine as a writer for the one thing that has been in my life the most- video games. My thanks to Bus and all his help on getting me this job, and thanks to Alex Lucard (DHGF Chief Editor) for giving me this wonderful opportunity to work for the site I trust most for video game reviews.

What sets DHGF apart from the other video game review sites I have come across online (especially corporate giants like IGN) is the honest approach brought to each and every game released, regardless of publisher, platform, genre, or franchise. You are guaranteed to read a honest review from a gamer, which I find to be lacking at some sites.

The other reason I started to search around on the DHGF website was because of their unique weekly columns they offer. These include weekly wrap-ups for the Playstation Network, WiiWare/Virtual Console, and Xbox Live Arcade releases. Not only do they tell you what is out each week, but you can usually find an opinion on the games released, to see if they are worth your time, and more importantly, your money. Another great column (and a personal favorite) is “Sequel, Spin-Off, Start Over, or Stay Dead?” (that is a link to the latest column in the series). In this, a classic(?) game series is brought up each week, and the writers decide what their fate for the series would be (the options are pretty self-explanatory, I believe). Hopefully, my first piece of writing will drop tomorrow when this new column is posted. I will be sure to post a link here if my opinion makes it in!

As you can see, I am extremely excited to be part of such a strong gaming family. So much so, that instead of doing research on Maxim Gorky’s The Lower Depths (a play) for my project that is due Friday, I took the time to write this article about why you should check out the DHGF site! But, if I wasn’t this excited I would be worried that this isn’t what I should be doing. Hopefully you will check out DieHard GameFAN to see what we have to offer.

Thanks for reading!

(Did I just spam own blog?! HA!)

Welcome to the new home of my thoughts on gaming, sports, and whatever else I care to write about- Psymin’s World (I might change the name in the future, but for now this will do). I have been able to import my old posts from the Blogger site thanks to WordPress’s great import feature. Although Blogger did a descent job, I have realized thanks to my movie blog that WordPress is really the leader when it comes to blogging online. Why use a Ford when I can drive a Beamer?!

In the future, if I am unable to land a writing job at the few places I have applied, my goal is to setup my own domain name using a “video game critic” theme as my inspiration for the title and address. But, until that happens, I will post all my thoughts here. I might start posting my franchise stories on this blog depending on how the HTML will work with what I already have.

If you have comments, or questions, just post them here or email me at my psymin1@yahoo.com email address. If you have any suggestions on what I could do to improve the site, please, leave a comment and let me know because I am open to suggestions. Thanks for reading, and welcome to the new site!

And don’t forget you can follow my movie blog at The Movie Files by Psymin!

I guess I should preface this by saying how excited I was for the game coming in. It was being touted as a game much like Indigo Prophecy-Quantic Dream’s first and only notable title- who’s concept I absolutely loved. Indigo Prophecy was my type of game- a dark storyline, ENJOYABLE mini-games to rid the world of enemies, thought provoking, and intelligent; it was a blast. And now that Quantic Dream is ready to release Heavy Rain and step up to the current generation of gaming, I plan on being there on release date…at least that is what I THOUGHT. Has the remained the same? Let’s see:

Short answer: Absolutely.

Long answer: When you boot up the demo, you are immediately greeted with a dark, rainy scene just like you would imagine from a game entitled “Heavy Rain”. As I usually do, I went to the options to see what was going on. To my surprise, the games default difficulty level was set to “Hard”. Me being the wuss I am, I decided to change it to “Medium” just so I didn’t have to much trouble (I am sure I will be playing through the full game on medium anyway). After you start a new demo, you are put in control of the first playable character: a retired detective named Scott Shelby. Shelby starts out as a tutorial, showing you how to do basic things like open car doors, pull out your wallet, squeeze behind dumpsters, change the camera angle, etc. But what he also shows us is the combat in the Heavy Rain. Just like Indigo Prophecy, the combat in the game is done through mini-games- you have to push buttons as they pop onto the screen, or move the controller up and down, or move the analog stick a certain direction to defeat the other character who you’re fighting against. To be honest, this is pretty stellar in my mind. I LOVE the mini-game fighting. To me, it is just as exciting, if not more so, than chasing after a guy with a gun and trying to shoot his head off. It had me tingling in all the right places (my hands and heart, don’t be gross). At first, I thought it was a little bit of an overkill to have to control EVERY little thing your character does, but that toned down a bit once you got past the tutorial area. Shelby’s scene in the demo was a blast!

After you complete Shelby’s story, you play as the second (and final) playable character in the demo- FBI agent Norman Jayden. As Jayden you are tasked with searching the crime scene of the Origami Killer’s latest victim. Jayden wears these glasses and glove that allow you to push the R1 button to easily find any evidence- important or not- around a radius of a given distance around you. It is really neat, to be honest. Again, you are shown the different types of mini-games that will be available, and the different types of investigating you will do (presumably) in the final release. Although this scenario was a lot less intense thanks to no fight, it was still a very unique and interesting experience. I can definitely see myself enjoying both of these characters at the end of the month.

Overall, the graphics blew me away. The game looked VERY good, and has a stronger atmosphere than most games I play nowadays. However, the demo did have some weaknesses. The first weak spot that some might find is that you have to push the R2 button in order for your character to walk, and the Left Stick to pick what direction they are going to move. At first, this annoyed me too, but after getting used to it, I didn’t hate it. It kind of reminded me of the old Resident Evil games for some reason, only a lot less clunky. So this might be a problem for some, but I grew to get accustomed to it and it became second nature. Where my biggest flaw comes in is as soon as the characters start speaking- the voice acting is borderline terrible! This is a HUGE negative to me in a game like this where story is the main reason you play. Three of the four actors who talk in the demo sounded like they were trying to cover up an European accent, and it really took away from the game. I could have lived with the accent issue if the acting was good, but it wasn’t. This is something that you really have to hear to understand what I mean, but I am pretty confident you would agree with me. But, other than that, I have no real complaints. Unfortunately, to me (an actor) that is going to most likely lower this games final score after I get the full game. Oh well…as long as I allow myself to be enveloped by the story, this might be passable in the end. We’ll see.

| Heavy Rain Demo Recap |
Positives|
+Great Atmosphere
+Interesting Characters
+Excellent Story
+Beautiful Graphics
+Mini-games Kick Ass

Negatives|
-Some may dislike having a “Walk” button
-Borderline-Terrible Voice Acting

Final Verdict| Even with all the big name titles coming out around this same time, this should be on the top of your list if you are at all interested in this genre of game. BUY ON LAUNCH DAY- FEBRUARY 23, 2010!

I am definitely interested in others view of the game. Feel free to post some feedback on your thoughts!

Thanks for reading.