I finally gave in. I've been trying to forget about Crysis 3 since it came out, but I couldn't do it any longer.

When it released last week, i almost pulled the trigger and bought it out of impulse, but talked myself out of it. I played Crysis 2, didn't think much of it, but a little voice inside of me was telling me that 3 would be better. Thankfully, because of ALL THE OTHER GAMES I am currently trying to finish and enjoy, I realized I just didn't have any time to work Crysis 3 into the mix, especially with the barrage of games being released this coming month.

All those commercials on TV using the "Sharp Dressed Man" song that only made me think of Duck Dynasty every time I heard it, only to be dissapointed when I discovered it was Crysis 3. The websites with the background themes showing Cyrsis 3, the displays at the store ... it was all getting too much! So I couldn't take it anymore, and decided to break down and at least give it a shot.

Redbox to the rescue.

I wanted to spend more time with this game, at least another night, before writing about it, but honestly, I don't think I'm going to make it that far. I got through the tutorial and started up the campaign, and immediately realized that this game might be the most complicated FPS I have ever played. Aside from the normal controls, there is a gazillion things to do with your Nanosuit, and combining different techniques and features of your suit with the dubious of task of trying to stay hidden with stealth, yet still be a lethal killing machine was just head-spinning. Right off the bat, in the first part of the campaign, I fell into water, got lost and had no idea how to get out. Messages to all developers out there: If there are parts where a player can get stuck by accidentally falling into that doesn't kill the player, thus sending them into a gaming limbo of sorts - DON'T EVEN MAKE IT A POSSIBILITY. The last thing I want to do in a game I'm already wearing of and overwhelmed by is get stuck right off the bat.

I understand where this game could be fun. It might be the best use of a bow as a weapon in any game in a long time. For as much as I loved Far Cry 3, I absolutely DESPISED using the bow. This bow in Crysis 3, however, pretty damn cool. I just wish I could go around getting to where I need to go, killing with this awesome weapon without having to use the Nanosuit features at every turn, remembering which button of the d-pad or the trigger buttons do which, and what exact features I need to do.

The ideas of this game, and franchise as a whole, are good ones, it just overwhelmed me and then quickly bored me into submission. At the end of the day, this game just seems like a run of the mill FPS with a familiar name behind it. I don't know how much more of the game I will play, if any. And sure, I am probably missing something profound or giving up to quick, but honestly, I am pretty good at deciding what I think about games after only a couple hours of playing it. I don't need to finish the game to know that it's not for me. Will it be for other people? I'm sure there is a very loyal Crysis fan base that loves this game, and more power to them.

Also, now that I think about it, the fact that I was playing Halo 4 immediately before I gave Crysis 3 a shot might have hurt Crysis' chances for capturing my interest and approval. But that might say more for Halo 4 than it does Crysis 3. 

Professional wrestling. Oh, what a crazy, weird and amazing part of my childhood.

I remember the first time I ever experienced wrestling was at a friend's birthday party, where his parents had ordered WresleMania for us kids to watch. He had the plush Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior wrestling buddies and everything, and while everyone else was running around, acting a fool, I was glued to that show. I had NO IDEA who anyone was, and had only vaguely heard of Hulk Hogan before, but that didn't matter. I was hooked.

From there, I remember watching everything I could. I would rent old PPVs on tape, back when "the big four" was the only four. By the time the Attitude Era hit in the WWE, I was damn near an expert. I would host parties for each PPV and invite all the kids in the neighborhood to come over, with everyone chipping in some cash to pay for the PPV, pizza and sodas. It was A THING for sure. I remember staying up later every single Monday night, switching the channel back and forth between WWE and WCW during the height of the Monday Night Wars.

It was a great time to be a wrestling fan, for sure.

So when I decided to play WWE '13 - FINALLY! -  you can imagine my shock when I discovered that the normal "Road To WrestleMania" mode was replaced with an "Attitude Era" mode, where basically, you go back and play out the biggest events and matches of the that time in wrestling, spanning six different storylines. They give you videos talking about what happened, cut scenes showing reenactments of what took place and letting you play certain characters to relive the special moments in the ring. You can just win each match to continue, or you can successfully complete special (and sometimes secret) goals in each match to fully unlock the events of that specific match. Seriously, it is like watching a full documentary of everything that happened, except you get to participate in it. How cool is that?

If this game was ONLY this mode, it would be an amazing game. But add on the basic wrestling game formula of all current-day stars at your disposal for exhibition matches or online, plus the amazingly deep customization mode, and you have yourself one hell of a game. Seriously, I spend almost two hours in the creation mode, editing everything from my superstar, to arenas, to entrance videos and even specific special moves. Yes, you can create your own special or finishing maneuver, by linking together actions to form one move. There are literally hundreds of combinations you can come up with for your move. For those gamers who spend more time customizing their characters than actually playing with them, this mode if for them. I'm surprised I got sucked into the trap of customization to be honest, but I'm glad I did.

All in all, I just want to go back and keep playing the Attitude Era story mode. And what an awesome DLC opportunity too, to include more storylines. Sure, they can release more wrestlers and customization items like they already did, but a DLC of a specific storyline not already covered could keep this game going strong well into the next one, which unfortunately, won't be developed by THQ anymore after they went bankrupt and sold all their properties, including the rights to the WWE license, which 2k picked up. I'm interested to see where that studio can take this long-storied game franchise, but with such a wealth of history and current day material to borrow from, any WWE game is sure to be handled well.

And that's the bottom line, but if you're not down with that, I have two words for ya, if you smeeeeeeellllllllllll...

Let's cut to the chase here real quick. BIT.TRIP presents Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien is the first to actually have a title long enough to force it into two lines of the title block of text. And as is par for the course, the longer and goofier the name, the more interesting, unusual, unique and awesome the game usually is. I say "usually" to prevent any angry emails about games with ridiculously long titles that simply had more letters in it than it did good parts of the game.

Anyway, now that we got that out of the way...

I wasn't originally planning on playing this game. To be totally honest, this game wasn't even on my radar until today. It got some amazing reviews, and while I haven't gotten into the BIT.TRIP series before, I figured this game was going to be an awesome starting point. When I say "figured," what I really mean is "really, really hope." Either way, however, I was not dissapointed in the least. Runner 2 is slated to come out on PS3 next week, my console of choice because of trophies, but I saw it on the Wii U today, and since there isn't any actual retail games on the Wii U anywhere in sight, I feel like I'm pulling the trigger more care-free on these eShop games. I haven't made a regrettable decision yet, so that's a plus.

I was playing another game tonight, which I originally planned on writing about, buy because of the depth of it and how much I was enjoying it, I want to soak a little more in before I give my impressions on it. So be ready for that! That's what we in the industry call a "teaser" my friends.

Anyway, Runner 2 ... where to even begin? Well, for starters, this might be one of the only games I've played for this stupid blog thus far that my beautiful, yet non-gaming better half, has actually watched me play for an extended period of time. Granted, she was waiting for a cake to finish baking for her work tomorrow, but still. I'll take any time I can get with her while playing games. And surprisingly, she was actually getting into it.

When I started it up, she gave me the "What in the hell are you playing?" look, that I normally get, especially with these little quirky downloadable titles. Once I started playing the first level, she made some remark about how "all I was doing was running and jumping." Yes, it was that simple. I knew the game got harder, but they at least gave me a couple levels right off the bat to get used to the idea of running without controlling the character, and jumping effectively over anything in my way and collecting piles of gold and red plus signs along the way. On the second level, when I completed it, I realized I had missed one measly pile of gold, thus prompting me to go back and play the level all over again. She questions why I was doing it, only realizing shortly thereafter that I have an OCD collecting problem in gaming. No way could I go on to the next level while leaving the previous level technically unfinished to the fullest extent.

By the fourth level, the difficulty started increasing. Sure, the levels got faster, more cluttered with bad guys and required more precise movements, but that's not the main factor for the game getting substantially harder. No, that happened because the game started to make you use more buttons and movements, like sliding, kicking walls and jumping off jump pads. It sounds stupid, and quite frankly, it is. Two buttons and two different joystick movements, and I was freaking out like I was trying to solve a calculus equation with an abacus. I can play a game like Halo and use every single button on the controller, then turn around and play a combo-heavy game like DmC on a different system with a different controller and obviously a totally different button scheme with no problems at all. But then I play a game where I don't even move the character forward, with four buttons to worry about, and it's a disaster.

Sure, the game is whizzing by at lightning speeds. Sure, absolutely exactly precise moves are the the key to victory, and the slightest mistake sends you crashing. Sure, the background, while gorgeous, is flat out distracting. But that's no excuse. I've been gaming for 25 years. I am better than this game makes me feel, damn it. At least, I think I am.

I guess I can also chalk it up to being extremely tired. But I kept playing and playing, despite having a hard time keeping my eyes open, as it was that addictive to obtain perfect runs through each level. Oh, and the sound. THE SOUND, PEOPLE! Every time you jump over an enemy or collect an item, another note to the soundtrack plays, giving you a full, amazing soundtrack for each perfect run you have. I even gave it shot with headphones, and the sound was breathtaking.

I just wish I could have enjoyed it more, as the frustration was growing with every crash.

Another conversation I had with my lady was about the fireballs, and how I needed to slide under the first one I came across instead of trying to jump over it. She recalled Bowser's fireballs and the bullet bills in the original Mario Bros. game being the same way, where there were always those ones that you couldn't quite tell to jump or duck, and usually, you got it wrong anyway. For someone not interested in gaming to pull that reference out ... wow, my heart was sent aflutter all over again.

Anyway, I have a long way to go in this game, and while I plan on making it, I'm just glad I have a protective shield on my Wii U GamePad, as I can only presume the game is going to get a lot, lot harder. But the harder it is, the more rewarding those perfect runs will be, I figure.

Again, when I say "I figure," what I'm really saying is "God I really hope so, for my own sanity's sake." 

OK sports fans, let's be real here for a minute. When the football season is in the off-season, sports in general just aren't that interesting. I said last week, on a podcast that I was on, that the NBA All-Star weekend was the worst weekend in sports all year. Unless you were a hockey or regular season college basketball fan, there was nothing to watch even remotely interesting. Well, a week later, and I honestly don't feel that much different about the previous weekend and now.

Sure, we have competitive NBA games, and while teams are starting to jockey for playoff position, there are only a couple teams outside of the playoff race that can make a push into the playoffs. It just isn't that interesting. Baseball spring training started, and while I am super pumped about the upcoming MLB regular season, there is nothing to watch currently. All we get are news stories about how bad the Yankees are going to be. While that isn't something I am opposed to, it just gets old after a while.

Hockey is still blah, NASCAR is driving in circles and car crashes and even those aren't fun anymore (what? too soon?). College basketball STILL isn't interesting, and won't be until the tournament starts. Golf isn't fun or worth watching except the Majors, and that's only if the big names are playing to win on the last day. So that leaves football, which unfortunately, isn't played year-round. There is a bit of football going on, however, thanks to the over hyped, over analyzed and over covered NFL combine. But hey, if LBs running 40-yard dashes gets better ratings than other, actual competitive sports on TV, then more power to the powers that be making those TV network decisions.

Because of this sports lull, and in honor of college athletes trying to show off why they deserve to be in the NFL, I decided to give NCAA Football 13 a whirl. I had high hopes for this game, but I'm not quite sure why. Maybe because the visuals in Madden are so pretty now, I expected NCAA to be on par. I should have remembered that wasn't the case from reviews when the game came out, but alas, I can't remember every little detail like that. I'm not saying the graphics are bad, just not jaw-dropping like I hoped they would be.

I played a few different games tonight. For one, I just wanted to experience the game as a whole, but then it turned into flat out trophy hunting. I'm not even ashamed of it either. To get a lot a trophies in the this game, you would have to dump some serious hours into all the different modes featured. If you were all about playing this game and nothing else, that would be a breeze. But for me, I find sports games in general (not just this one) tedious and repetitive after a while. But hey, I know LOTS of people who will play multiple seasons and careers in a game, playing each game of each season. I appreciate the dedication, buy my ADD won't let that happen.

The absolute best feature of this game is the Heisman mode, where you can play as a former Heisman winner for a season in an attempt to replicate or better their award winning season, all while trying to win the coveted prize at the end. It's a really cool concept, but even better, they got the legend Barry Sanders to be apart of it. I tell you what, I haven't had so much fun playing as a RB in a football game since, well, I played THIS GAME. Barry is one of the best football players I can remember ever watching, and being able to play as him in a game, where I actually felt like I was controlling him, was SWEET. I was surging to get the trophy for winning the Heisman with Barry. That is, until the game froze up and I lost everything. Awesome.

Well, I don't plan on wasting much time playing this game, but it did rejuvenate the sports fan in me. Maybe I can start enjoying some sports again. Or I can just keep watching guys do football drills in front of hundreds of people. Either way, it's nice to be back in the sports mood.

On a side note, I am in the beginning stages of doing something special for the March Madness tourney coming up soon. Of course, it will be video game related. Look for it, if I go through with my idea, up shortly. It might be an epic crash and burn of an idea, or the greatest thing since a sliced bread maker ... we will see!

Today was a weird one, and a first for My Year of Gaming blog. I really didn't anticipate this happening less than two full months in, but it did. I was in the position where I had no clue what game I wanted to play for the project.

It's not that I didn't have any games to play - trust me, I have PLENTY - but rather, I just simply had no clue what I wanted to play. All I really wanted to do was work on games I'm currently trying to play through and beat (DmC, MGR: Revengeance, Sly Cooper, etc.), especially since I have a week of no new releases to worry about before the next big game hits store shelves. And honestly, as sporadic and random as the games seem to be that I pick to play, most are planned at least a day ahead of time. Sure, some of them just fall in my lap to play, but I haven't had the feeling like I did today of not having any clue or ambition to play any specific game.

One suggestion I got to help my "problem" was to just close my eyes and randomly pick one. While that would have worked just fine, I didn't quite go that route, even though deciding to play Warp was pretty damn random. It was another one of the games I downloaded a few weeks back when the PSN store had a huge sale, and I think because of Playstation Plus, it was only like a dollar or something like that. Of course, I haven't touched in since then, but hey, it worked out OK for me in the end.

I tried out a demo of Warp a long, long time ago when it was first released, and I remember liking it, but not loving it. I do recall getting at least one achievement to pop up during the demo (yes, I originally tried it out on the Xbox 360), but it didn't count as a true achievement, saying I had to buy the full game in order to get it. What a great marketing strategy, showing you not just the game, but the achievements/trophies you could get. While it didn't work then, however, I did remember that when I picked up for super cheap.

So what did I think of this game? it's a fun little puzzle game, but nothing great. I'm glad I only paid a dollar for it, instead of full price. I like the concept of warping everywhere, including into things to destroy them, but it felt like the rooms and paths got repetitive quickly. The graphics aren't fantastic, whether that is intentional or not I don't know, but the forced camera angles and bland environments didn't hold my attention at all.

Long story short, I survived my first crisis of not knowing what to play. Thankfully I solved the issue early in the day, not pushing it to the late night crunch time like what might happen on a weekday. I have this coming week fairly planned out, but there is always room for minor alterations to the plan. Oh, and I'm also in the beginning stages of getting some other side projects that relate to this one going, so look for that in the upcoming future - hopefully sooner than later.

Thanks again for all your guys' feedback, good vibes and motivation. Remember ... I started this for myself, but I'm doing it for everyone else.

Today was a really productive day for me. Well, productive in gaming, that is. I continued my slice and dice journey through Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, I ground out some trophies in Sly Cooper 4, I went back and finished up Machinarium, I got suckered in by my oldest son to play some Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 with him, and then I finally got around to playing my game of the day.

Here is what I took from my huge day of gaming:

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a lot more difficult than it appears on the surface. You can't just wildly hack your way through the game, you have to be precise and calculated in not only your offense, but your defensive moves as well. Oh, and it is still incredibly fun. I'm already looking forward to my next play-though with all the upgrades and weapons from the start that I'm collecting on this first play-through.

Sly Cooper 4: Thieves in Time was an awesome and refreshing upgrade to the franchise. It was a lot of fun, but now, as I stare the last trophies square in the eyes, I have to ask myself if the grind to go back and get them is worth that beautiful Platinum trophy. Especially with the first three Sly Platinums already collected, I would hate to bail on this game. But man, the ridiculously long load times makes grinding and chapter hopping very, very tedious. I might just have to stick to grinding along on my Vita, when console gaming isn't an option. Also, I synced my cloud-save to my PS3 version for the first time since about the second chapter, and when I did, I sat there for several minutes watching trophy after trophy pop up. I tell you what, as a trophy whore, there is hardly anything better than watching double trophies pop. Thank you, Cross-Buy!

As I mentioned, I went back and finished up Machinarium. While there was no Platinum trophy, since it is a PSN game, there were a handful of silver and gold trophies I got just by finishing up my adventure. When I wrote about the game before, I questioned whether or not I had it in me to go back and finish this game. I wondered if I would eventually find out what the game is all about, and also if it was something I could finish in just one more sitting, and lastly, if the final trophies would all be worth it. Well, the game never explains itself at all, with the ending being as big of a let down as I can remember in games. I did finish it one last sitting, thankfully, because I couldn't go back and continue it after today - it was now or never for finishing it. And were the trophies worth it? Well, I didn't have to grind, just beat the game, so yeah, I suppose so. I immediately deleted the game and save file from existence after completing it, however, so take that for what it's worth.

My oldest son, who is almost 13, asked me if I wanted to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 with him tonight. He never wants to play games with me, but I think he got a little jealous since my seven year old got to play an entire week of Halo with me. I of course couldn't say no to this awesome opportunity to enjoy some games with him, even if it is a game I don't particularly love to play. His selling point to me was the Double XP weekend, which obviously I couldn't care much about. But honestly, all he had to say was "Nuketown," and I was all in. I freakin' love that map, just for the quick, frenetic, everyone-has-a-chance pace of the map. Sadly, I realized that compared to everyone else playing tonight, I flat out suck. Maybe I don't play enough to be good, maybe I just suck, I don't know for sure, but what I do know is that I was basically just target practice for everyone else. There was only one match where I finished with a .500 kill-to-death, and that of course was the only match in which I didn't finish dead-last. Good news is that I leveled up quite a few ranks, thanks to the double XP, and also because when you have a lower ranking, the leveling up process goes pretty quickly to start out. He eventually got bored playing with me, as he was bombarded by party invites the entire time we were playing until he finally succumbed to the peer pressure of his peers to ditch his dad and play some reals games ... or something like that.

No biggie though, it finally gave me a chance to play my game of the day, The House of the Dead: Overkill - Extended Cut. And yes, before you ask, that is the longest title of any game I have wrote about to date.

Now, this game wasn't my first choice to play tonight. I was anticipating getting a couple of games in from Gamefly today, but because their service is becoming increasingly slower and slower every time I make the game switcheroo, I didn't get them as I had hoped. So I had to find a back up plan, and somehow, this game tickled my fancy. I wish I could say there was a really cool reason for me playing it tonight, but nope. Just random, dumb luck.

I got this game when it came out on the Wii several years ago, and absolutely had a ball with it. So when I saw the Extended Cut on sale in the PSN store a few weeks ago for just a couple of bucks, I couldn't resist. You see, the House of the Dead franchise holds a special place in my heart. If I manage to find a House of the Dead game (especially 3) in an arcade, I will dump quarter after quarter into it. I don't know why, but the series has always been fun and rewarding. It's dumb, it's cheeky and over the top, but I just can't get enough of it.

Overkill, however, takes everything the series is famous for and covers it in gas, lights in on fire and pushes it over a cliff, only to drop a nuke on it after it lands. It is easily the most over the top, unbelievable, violent and mature game they have ever made, but there is a charm to it you either will love, or hate instantly. For one, the game is very self aware and has no problem making sure it is as cheesy and corny as possible, intentionally. Better than that, however, is that the game is made to be just like an old-school grindhouse movie style. It's completely insane, gory and exploitative, and I totally understand that this game isn't close to being a favorite amongst the masses. But for some of us weirdos, the type who enjoyed movies like Death Proof and Planet Terror, this game fits right in to the twisted genre.

The controls, I noticed, are super sensitive, as it was clearly made to be used with PlayStation Move, but honestly, more people will play and like this game than the amount of people who have Move controllers, and that's saying something. I can't say I will ever sink tons of hours into this game, but it is a fun little shooter to dabble in when the serious, realistic games start feeling a bit dull. 

So ... the PS4 was officially, finally announced yesterday at a press conference in New York. While this turned the industry into a frenzy of media hype, which basically bogged down any internet connection even thinking about logging into something relating to video games, breaking twitter and causing fanboys and haters alike to overreact all at once, it is easy to get caught up in it all. Trust me, it's VERY easy.

I wanted to be as excited as everyone else. I really did. I was nervous and tense and excited all rolled into one before the conference started, and while I was unable to watch it (thanks, Internet!), I did keep tabs on it via Twitter, since all but maybe 3 feeds were tweeting non-stop about what was going on. By the time it was over, I was left pleased yet disappointing, excited yet confused. Let's break down all the key announcements so I can explain my thoughts and feelings on it all better.

• RELEASE DATE - They announced it at the end as being released during the "Holiday of 2013." Most likely they will shoot for before Black Friday, the busiest day of retail in the US all year. But will it be before the impending new Xbox, after or - god forbid - at the same time? No one ones, and maybe Sony doesn't even have an answer until Microsoft pokes their head out into this arms race and declares its intentions. Still, expect plenty of these systems to be put under Christmas trees this year.
• PRICE - Yeah, well, Sony didn't really announce a price, at all. There are rumors circulating of two different SKUs for two different models, running at about $430 and $530, but a lot can change. Sure, that seems adequate (yet still pricey for the average gamer) for the specs that the PS4 has included in it. I have to think Sony is holding their cards close to the vest on this one to see what Microsoft plans on pricing their machine at. They absolutely CAN NOT make another pricing mistake like they did with the PS3, or they are toast. Not announcing a price yet is fine, especially if that means they are planning on being competitive with the competition. If you're planning on buying both, expect to pay upwards of a grand for both systems total ... JUST FOR THE SYSTEMS. Let us not forget what pricing is going to look like for accessories, controllers and games. Can those get any higher?
  Editors note: Sony just announced that games will be anywhere from free-to-play, to starting at $0.99 and going up to the standard $59.99 MSRP - so there's that.
  
• THE TECH SPECS - I won't bore you with all the exact specifications they announced, just the important ones. For starters, it's packing an 8-core processor, and 8 GB of memory. 8 GB OF MEMORY! Do you know how crazy that is? Because of that, Sony is promising the ability to play games as they are downloading. I'm hoping that applies to lengthy installations and system updates, as well. If so ... well done, Sony.

Happy birthday, to you. Happy birthday, to you. Happy birthday, dear King Washington... Happy birthday to you.

A quick glance at the calendar indicated that today, Feb. 22, is George Washington's birthday. You know, the first President of the United States of America? One half of the reason we have a Presidents' Day weekend? Yeah, that guy. But if you think about it, a couple different decisions here and there we might not be celebrating him at all, or if so, at least in a different way.

During the American Revolutionary War, Washington was an integral part of our victory, serving as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. Years later, he oversaw the drafting of the Constitution, of which the foundation for our government was established, and was then elected unanimously the first President. We all know this, thanks to the stellar education system we have in this great country, right?

Well, what if Washington had a little bit of corruption in his blood, and the newly-discovered power that he was given over and over again just fed his growing ego? What if he took the country by the throat, and instead of establishing the foundation for a free country rooted in democracy, he instead opted for a monarchy, one in which he would be king of the newly-separated territory and rule over the land as a tyrant, ruthless in his ways and unforgiving in his conquest of all those who opposed.

Interesting to think about, isn't it? Well, apparently the find folks over at Ubisoft thought so to, thus explaining the three-part DLC to their smash hit Assassin's Creed 3. With AC3 taking place in Colonial America, and George Washington himself being a NPC character in the game, the opportunity to explore this dark, twisted alternate reality all but created itself. When is the last time you saw Washington in a game, and how often do you see this time period being revisited in future games? The opportunity to do this was now, and Ubisoft obliged. I present to you ... Assassin's Creed 3: The Tyranny of King Washington.

When I first heard about this DLC, I couldn't have been more excited, which is odd for me because I'm usually not a DLC kind of guy. But this struck me as different, as it would still be played in AC3 (a game I LOVED, by the way), but telling a different story and one in which had nothing to do with anything I had already done in the main game. Basically, a stand-alone separate story based in the main game's universe. Rockstar did this wonderfully with Red Dead Redemption's Undead Nightmare, so this concept isn't new, but also isn't overplayed yet either. For 10 bucks a pop you can get each one of the three chapters of this story, with the first one being released a couple days ago and the next two coming over the next couple of months.

The first one, which I played tonight, is called "The Infamy," and it sets up the story that is sure to take many twists and turns over the final two episodes. You start the game off as Connor, the assassin you played as most of the main game, but there is something different. You aren't "Connor," but rather still using your Native American given name, and your mother is still alive. You aren't the assassin you trained for years to become, but instead just a warrior. You are dazed and confused, but you quickly find out that your mom being alive isn't the only crazy thing going on. Apparently, George Washington, in which you helped during the main story, is now sending his men out into the frontier, slaughtering innocent people who oppose his monarchy. When he is first reference as "King Washington," you head almost explodes as you try to understand. You seem to still have the memories of what you went through in the main campaign, but it's not fully explained how or why that is, hopefully saving it for a big reveal down the road.

I don't want to spoil any more than that, but I will say the first episode was about 2 hours of game play with a lot of really cool cinematic cut scenes, of course. I'm looking forward to exploring this story to the end. I'm glad I have a reason to go back and play some more of this game, as I had so much fun with it, but eventually, got burnt out of the grinding afterwards for some trophies I will never get. But a new, fresh start to a landscape that I spend dozens of hours in is something I can get behind.

Once again, happy birthday, George. Or should I call you King, instead?

I can't sugar coat the fact that I hate racing games. I mean, I want to like racing games, and I always have, but they bore me to tears. Maybe it's because I'm not a car guy, or maybe because I have such a short attention span that driving in circles or over a hilly countryside just doesn't do anything for me, as a gamer.

Of course, that also might be why I can't stand watching NASCAR for more than five minutes as well.

Like I said, I want to like racing games, and give them a shot whenever I get a chance. I'll try one at any arcade I'm at, just because I think I might like it. I will give most new racing games a shot, just to see if my tastes have changed. Yet over and over again, I am underwhelmed, bored and disappointed. This has gone on for years, and in the wake of tossed-aside racers, I have only found a two that I can say I truly love and would play anytime, anywhere. The first is Mario Kart - all of them, actually, but we'll count it as one for the sake of a longer explanation. The second, of course, is the Super Nintendo classic, F-ZERO.

F-FREAKIN-ZERO might just be the best racer ever. Ok, that might be a little bit of a bold statement to make, but seriously, have you ever met anyone who has played this game and hasn't liked it? I sure haven't. So tonight, after a long string of current-gen games and systems, I went back to a retro classic. Because I can. And because it was released on the Wii U Virtual Console under the new promotion they are experimenting with of selling one game a month for six months, at a mere 30 cents cost. Basically, they are just giving away classics, because well, Nintendo loves us.

Playing this game on the big screen is awesome, but being able to switch over to GamePad play is just as amazing. Finally, F-Zero on a handheld! Well, almost. Just as good, though. For a game that was released in 1990 (over 22 years ago!), it still is as fun as it used to be. Sure, it's not the prettiest graphically, or the deepest in terms of campaign, but the frantic pace, challenging courses and awesome 90's video game music is not only nostalgic, but still captivating.

Oh, and what color do you guys picked? I've always wondered what the popular color choice is. Mine is blue, because well, is there any other correct color choice? I don't think so.

People have clamored for Nintendo to revisit this series. I'm worried that this is a franchise that might not adapt to current-gen technology as well as others, and might be suited best to remain near and dear in the hearts of retro gamers everywhere. I would hate for a remake or a reboot to tarnish the good name of this series. Would I be surprised if it happened, however? Not in the least.

Just don't expect me to enjoy it much. But I'm sure I will give it a shot, just like all the other stupid racing games to succumb to my warpath of ADD gaming habits.

Slice! Dice! Chop Chop! Slice!

There are only two games built around the simple fundamental of slicing and dicing everything and anything around you into shreds: Fruit Ninja (on whatever platform you prefer), and the new Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

And no, I have clue how publishers can keep inventing words like "Revengeance," so don't ask. All I do know is that my spell check HATES that word with a passion.

Anyway, this game knows exactly what it is and makes no bones about trying to cover it up or pretend like it's something else. It was designed to be a game that moves at a frantic pace, enabling you to slice your way through everything in your path including any and all enemies, all while making you feel like an total bad-ass while doing it. MGR:R is proud of what it is, and I can't appreciate that more in a game, when it comes down to it.

I was pushed to buy this game after seeing how much I thoroughly enjoyed DmC, with the hack-and-slash style of game play touching an inner part of my gamer soul that had been dormant for quite some time. Last month, I played Ninja Gaiden 3, but that game forgot to include one key feature to the genre it was trying to fit into - it forgot that it was supposed to be fun and enjoyable.

Well, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance didn't forget that at all. So far, it is a blast to play. A CUT above the rest, if you will.

I first got to experience Raiden in Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, and his move set was off the charts insane in that game, as far as how quick he moved and how awesome it was to pull off combos. Well, take that small sample and expand it to a full game, and that's what you have in MGR:R. Slicing trees, slicing cars, dicing up cyborgs, cutting through giant robot monsters ... yeah, how can a game like that go wrong?

It also has a decent story so far, and some likeable characters to boot. Apparently, people on the internet are all up in arms about how short the campaign is, which is clocking in around 6 hours of game play, but a game like this encourages multiple playthroughs, trying to best you previous levels times and scores, and of course, collect trophies. Plus, with how fast this game moves and feels, I'm sure the complaints about campaign length are heightened by that sense of pure adrenaline. I haven't gotten through the first play yet, but I don't see any reason why I won't go back and play it at least a couple of more times.

With the ability to skip cut scenes, you can get right into playing with little slowing you down other than a wonky camera that gets a little frustrating at times.But you have full control of the camera on its 180 degree mount, so if you find yourself lacking visibility, it is probably your fault.

I can't wait to keep playing this game. I am having a blast with it so far, and look forward to slicing my way through more fruit ... err, I mean cyborgs.