GOTY

My decision on Game Of The Year will be coming at around the end of the year, probably a little after. There are still a few games I have yet to play (Fallout 3 chief among them) and some supposedly great games I simply won't play for whatever reason (not my cup of tea, can't afford it, not enough time, etc). So I will be listing those games worthy of consideration that I didn't play as well. Right now there are 4 games being seriously considered: Fable 2, Far Cry 2, MLB '08: The Show and NHL '09. I still have Fallout 3 and Left 4 Dead waiting to be played and I am expecting Little Big Planet to be a Christmas present since I have been a good boy. Hopefully I can put enough time in with those games to be able to get a complete read on them.

Last year's Game Of The Year for me was Bioshock. I still consider it one of the top 5 games I have ever played. And it had a lot of stiff competition, as 2007 was an unbelievably good year for gaming, especially in the fall and winter. 2008 is beginning to look a lot like that, with a lot of stellar games released late in the year. Look for updates for the games I play the rest of the year and a GOTY decision shortly after the beginning of 2009.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Barb's family is in town and we are also celebrating John's 6-month birthday. It's great to see everyone, although we miss Barb's sister Kelly and her family, who could not make it in this year. The ladies are all going shopping tomorrow morning, which in my opinion means that they are all nuts. Better them than me.

Hope everyone has a great holiday!

A couple of things...

Michigan football just wrapped up the worst season in their considerable history. What a letdown it has been. I was very excited about the Rich Rodriguez hire and I still have high hopes, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't shocked by the lack of competitiveness on the field week in and week out. The defense was supposed to be very good and the backbone of the team. It was horrific. Everyone knew that the offense would struggle with the new system but I was completely unprepared for just how horrible the QBs were. Neither Threet nor Sheridan look like they have any business throwing passes for a Division 1 program. Threet in particular was disappointing because he was supposed to be able to throw the ball well. Every deep ball had this weird loft to it as it sailed over the receiver's head or into an awaiting DBs arms. It simply looked like he had no clue on how to throw the ball. Unreal.

Next year will be better but it will also be a long way from a return to dominance. Rodriguez does have 2 freshman QBs coming in that supposedly can run his spread offense. But if he is given 3 years to make progress at Michigan before a decision is made on his future, that means that his fate will rest in the hands of 2 true sophomore QBs. Scary stuff indeed.

There are rumors flying all over the place that freshman HB Sam McGuffie wants to transfer to a school closer to his home in Texas. He was the lone bright spot I latched onto this season and now he may be gone. Thank goodness I didn't buy that jersey like I was planning on.

In other news, my wife picked up Left 4 Dead for me. What a woman!!! I have not played it yet and will probably hold off for a while, at least until I finish Far Cry 2, unless someone else I know picks it up and we can get some co-op going. Dave said he is likely going to pass, so I may have to look elsewhere.

That's all for tonight. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Dave reviews Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway

Dave Roland has posted a very fine review of Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway over at his web site. Definitely worth reading for anyone interested in this game. I think I am going to pass. I am still playing the heck out of Far Cry 2 and after that comes the massive Fallout 3. So finding time would be a problem. There are other games out there I am interested in more than BIA anyway.

You can read Dave's review here.

Today's picture: Jess and Laurel

Here's a nice pic of my two favorite daughters. Laurel is with her best play buddy, her big sis.

Happy Birthday Dave!

Dave Roland turned 35 yesterday. Here's hoping it was a happy birthday and that 35 is an excellent year for you, bro!

6 months old!!!

It was 6 months ago yesterday that John was born. He came into our lives earlier than expected and we are so fortunate that he is here with us and is doing just fine. We call him our little miracle baby because that's what he is to us. I'll never forget the night he was born: it was quite traumatic as I came way too close to losing both Barb and John. I am thankful everyday that they are here with me.

John is quite fond of his sister Laurel. She talks to him all the time and is so cute with him. Of course he loves his older siblings too, Zach and Jess. They are a huge help with him and keep Barb and me from going off of the deep end sometimes. John could not be luckier to have such good siblings. We count our blessings for having them each and every day as well. Quite a family we have here if I do say so myself.

Bad news/good news

Scott Burress has decided to shut down one of my favorite blogs, Who Needs Rules. He had a great run there and consistently made WNR a place worth visiting frequently. But while we're sorry to see it go, WNR staff writer and good buddy Dave Roland has decided to do more with his own blog since now he'll have more time on his hands. Dave is determined to keep his site updated and fresh and has promised to include game reviews and apps for the iPhone. Plus he has a great, irreverent sense of humor. I am really looking forward to reading more Dave. Check out Dave's Not Here Man and see what I mean.

Good luck, Dave!

More Far Cry 2

This game is absolutely amazing. There are so many ways to approach taking out enemies. One of my favorites is to hurl a Molotov cocktail at a hut, which ignites everything around it, causing a massive brush fire. As everything that can burn does (including trees), I simply wait for the bad guys to come flying out of the hut in a panic and pick them off with my sniper rifle. This tactic reminds me of an old classic PC game, XCOM: UFO Defense. I used to use incendiary ammo to flush out the aliens and take them out as they fled. Wow, XCOM. That's one of the top 5 games I ever played.

A couple of other cool things happened as I played today. The AI seems to get better and harder as you advance through the game. I raided an outpost today and drove off the guards. One of them ran off into some rocks about 50 yards from the outpost. I was walking through the camp, looking for goodies to loot when I heard the hiding guard start taking shots at me from a distance. I turned to run and saw a propane tank out of the corner of my eye. As I ran by it - WHOOSH! - it blew up and everything around it (including me) caught fire. The guard had aimed for the tank and created a massive explosion. That is some damned good AI.

Later I had a mission to take out a truck convoy. I did this, hitting it and the surrounding cars with my rocket launcher. Suddenly 2 jeep patrols showed up and started firing at me. I took out 3 of the 4 guys in quick order and was lining up a shot for the last one when he turned and ran, hiding behind one of the burning cars. What did he do then? He shot off a flare gun, high into the sky. Suddenly 4 or 5 more jeep patrols came roaring in and I was under an immense amount of fire. He called for backup! I had to high tail it out of the area, running for my life. Incredible. That was the first time I had seen the enemy do that and it was such a rush.

The game features tons of weapons that you unlock by doing favors for the weapon shops owners. There is a huge variety of real weapons, from the aforementioned flare guns to assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, sub machine guns and even a flamethrower. They all function realistically and in a neat touch, wear out over time. You can pick up weapons from fallen enemies too, but you can bet they are very used and are subject to ammo jams at the worst possible times. If you use them too long they may even blow up in your hand.

There's also a great variety of vehicles you can commandeer. A good number of real Jeep vehicles are in the game, as well as generic cars and dune buggies (which are really fun to drive). There are also boats you can take as you head up river to your next destination. Make no mistake; this game mixes the best elements of FPS games and sandbox games such as the Grand Theft Auto series.

This game is getting criminally overlooked because of all of the A++ titles being released this fall in time for the holidays. But if you want a realistic FPS that offers hours and hours of gameplay and sublime strategy, you simply must check out Far Cry 2.

Far Cry 2

I have been playing a lot of this game lately and I am really enjoying it. After playing Fable 2 and the Left 4 Dead demo, it's quite a change in both style and gameplay. Far Cry 2 is made to be a gritty, more realistic game than your average FPS. There's a lot of strategy involved if you choose to not just run 'n gun. The plot is straight out of Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" as you play a mercenary caught in a battle between 2 factions and find yourself doing missions for both sides, playing them against each other.

I have a few complaints about the game: you have to deal with malaria, which can be a royal pain in the neck if you run low on medicine. It's manageable, but it seems gimicky. Also you cannot save your game anytime, anywhere. You must either complete a mission or travel to different places throughout the map to find a save point. And there is a LOT of traveling. The map is huge (which is a good thing) but getting from one place to another can take quite a while and you are constantly running into checkpoints that you must fight your way through. In addition, random patrol vehicles are also on the prowl, and if they spot you they start shooting. So in the midst of traveling to a place to do a mission, you could find yourself getting in 4 or 5 fire fights before you even arrive to your destination. You'll probably be a little low on ammo and the mission battles are pretty intense in most cases.

Despite my gripes, I am really enjoying Far Cry 2. The single player campaign alone can take up to 70 hours to complete if you are thorough. That's a lot of bang for the buck. Plus the weapons are realistic and you can upgrade to better ones by doing side missions for the arms dealers. There's a lot of incentive to dig deeper and deeper into the game and once you do it get's it's hooks in.

Left 4 Dead demo impressions

My good buddy Dave Roland got me a code so that I could download the Left 4 Dead demo before it hit the marketplace. After playing through it a couple of times, I posted my impressions over at Beyond Media Online. You can find the write up here.

Thanks a bunch, Dave!

History

History was made in the United States tonight. I will go to bed tonight thinking that my children's future just may have gotten a little brighter. For that I am very, very grateful.

One last thing: McCain's concession speech was pure class. I was more impressed with him tonight than I have been since 2000. Bravo, Mr. McCain.

Just voted

I just returned from casting my ballot. The line was out the door when I got there, but it only took 45 minutes total for me to vote and be on my way. Not bad at all. I get the feeling that voter turnout is going to be massive all around the country and that the polls will have to be kept open hours longer than normal. This means we may not know who is president until very late at night.

From what I hear, Virginia will be the first state that will give an indicator as to how the presidential election will go. If Obama wins Virginia, it will be nearly impossible for McCain to get enough electoral votes. If McCain wins Virginia he will still face an uphill battle but the path will be easier for him. The polls there are supposed to close at around 6 PM central time, but as I said earlier, I think they will have to be kept open later to accommodate the huge turnout.

If you have taken the time to educate yourself about the issues and where each man stands, please vote in the presidential election today. I don't care who you support, just get out there and make yourself part of the process.

Halloween and a big night for John!

Halloween was a blast this year. Both Laurel and John dressed up, as you can see. We went to my sister's sister-in-law's house. She and her hubby always have a nice party with lots of great food and beverages. Laurel scored lots of candy so she's a very happy little girl. Zach went with us to the party and was a big help watching the kids so Barb and I could get a break once in a while. Jess opted to go to a high school football game, so she was missed.

In other big news, John made the move to his own bedroom last night! We got a camera baby monitor so we can keep an eye on him. He did great; he talked for a bit and then fell asleep. He only got up once last night. He has been doing better in that regard.

John did fine, but it was traumatic for Barb. She held up though and we have now met another little milestone. Great job, Honey!

More Fable 2

I finished the main quest in Fable 2 last night. I still have lots of stuff I can do, but the main part of the game is over. The story was excellent and the gameplay matched it all the way. It's not perfect by any means, but it's very enjoyable and a breeze to get into. My character went the good route, so maybe later I will play through as an evil character; I never do that, so it may be fun to give it a go. I'd also like to get in some multiplayer, hopefully with my buddy Dave. That could be some real fun. Also I have lot of money that I can give Dave to give him a nice head start in the single player game.

Next up is Far Cry 2, I think. Between that and Fallout 3, I think I'd rather go with an action FPS than another RPG. Right now a simple shooter is a bit more appealing than another story-driven game like Fallout 3.

So far, I'd have to say Fable 2 is probably the best game I have played this year. Whether it can hold on to that title is something that remains to be seen. I probably will only play Far Cry 2 and Fallout 3 for the rest of the year, besides the occasional sports game. MLB '08: The Show is still in the running for Game Of The Year too.