I just saw this trailer and I had to share. My mouth will not stay closed. I cannot wait to see this kind of technology incorporated in other games!! I wish spaces would let me embed this video, but do follow the link. You won't be sorry.

Star Wars: Force Unleashed

I really haven't been able to game much since my last entry. My reasons are twofold: 1) it's NFL playoff season and 2) Shawn has been hogging the TV playing Ace Combat 6.

When we first got the Xbox, he downloaded this demo and played it probably ten times before Christmas. I thought it might have been a subtle Christmas gift hint, so I suggested it to my aunt, and she complied. Since then, all my base are belong to him. The appeal of the game to him is quite obvious. It's about the Air Force, so of course he'll be excited. Not only is it about the Air Force, but apparently the procedures followed for air strike missions are rather accurate. It's like watching a little kid play a game the first time, he's so giddy. The game is almost too realistic for me. I get very dizzy watching him play. I lose track of which direction is up at times and can feel my stomach flip flop.

I cannot say enough how glad I am that his height prevents him from ever being a pilot. I know it's just a game, and there's no way someone would have as crazy of tasks or would take such crazy risks. But... I have a feeling that if he ever was a pilot, he would fly his F16 just like he plays. I get nervous enough when he's overseas. I can't imagine him piloting on top of that.

He's actually almost done playing the campaign mode. I really doubt he'll further his Achievements with online play (he doesn't get as excited about Achievements as I do), so by the time the Super Bowl is come and gone, I'll be able to pick up Naruto or Ratchet & Clank again. I did play a little more of R&C last week and got my ass readily handed to me. Well, and then I overjumped and flew right over a cliff. Ratchet can't fly like an eagle, but he does scream like one on his way down. Or maybe that was me in anguish. So no, still haven't mastered the learning curve on the game, but I feel it coming to me.

My one big prayer for 2008 is that it is slightly more stable than 2007. Buuuuut somehow I know that won't be true with a baby on the way and starting freelance writing. All in all, I really can't complain about 2007. Nothing horrible really happened, and everything that sucked at the time was really for the best in the long run. Besides, I got to go to Italy for a week. That destroys all right for me to complain about anything.

But this is my gaming journal, and I actually have games to talk about.

Ratchet & Clank
When I visited Rin in September, she introduced Ratchet & Clank to me, but I didn't play it until I visited her again in December. This is the game I should have played and borrowed instead of Jak & Daxter. The gameplay is somewhat similar, but I'm a bigger fan of throwing wrenches at things than simply punching or kicking them. When I discovered that Ratchet had another initial weapon aside from the wrench, I actually giggled as I ran by enemies and dropped hand bombs by them. Unfortunately with the holidays being the following weekend, I have had no time to play the game again. Okay, that's not true. I have had some time, but I was distracted with new Xbox games. However, R&C is going into my playlist. Hopefully I can finish it before Rin gets the bug to beat the game for the sixth time.

Dead Rising
Okay, funny story here. This will teach me a valuable lesson in actually doing research before buying games. When I say research, I mean downloading a demo in addition to reading others' opinions. The concept of this game seemed like crazy fun. A hack n slash where ANYTHING can be a weapon? Count me in! Grue's account of it was hilarious. The boys of Penny Arcade and VGCats raved about it. So, without seeing any of the visuals of the game, I went to my local Best Buy with Christmas cash in hand and picked up a copy. Did I study the cover at all? No, why would I?

The opening sequence rolled, and I was mesmerized by the graphics. MUA might as well have been a PS2 game compared to this. Then the first curse word flittered into my ears. My heart sank. I picked up the game case and saw ESRB's M for Mature stamp in the corner. Obviously I normally don't look for these because well, I'm 30. I own a couple, and most of Shawn's games have this rating. The language is not what is bothering me (as anyone who really gets to know me can testify... something I need to clean up in the next five months). However, since I've become with spawn, violence makes me physically ill. Even the animated violence. I can't watch Robot Chicken with its claymation anymore due to some of the violent sketches. Yes, it's sad, and something I really hope dissipates after labor and delivery.

I decided to press on with the game. Maybe it wasn't as violent as the M stamp sounded. Maybe it was rated M for the language. After all, all of the reviews I read about the game made it sound like cartoony violence. I can handle some cartoony violence. Unfortunately for my weak stomach, the answer was a resounding no. When I hit my first zombie with a plasma TV and the blood splattered everywhere, my stomach turned a little. When I died because I was trying to get the stupid lawnmower to work and not paying attention to the swarm of zombies around me, I turned the game off. I couldn't handle watching the zombies pull me down and eat me alive. I had to leave the room for a few minutes to clear the visuals from my head. The game will have to be put away for my playing time for the next five months.

Do I think it was a total waste of my $20? No. I know I'll play it once my iron stomach returns, and even if Sprout has scarred me for life, I know that Shawn will absolutely LOVE this game.

Naruto: Rise of a Ninja
For those who don't know, I am a complete Narutard. I watch the show, read the manga, and collect the sketches and reproduction cels from the animated series. The Naruto shirt I own is the only anime shirt I've bought. You get the idea.

I'm not a fan of the English dub (as I've watched it Japanese for three years before the dub came out), so I never thought I would really get into playing the Naruto games. Besides, most of the Naruto games I've seen have been purely fighting games. As much as I like fighting games, I've had to get pickier in what I play as they all seem to be quite similar, especially if they're anime based. I don't want to make the Budokai and Budokai 2 mistake again. However, the writer/artist for VGCats raved about ROAN, saying that it was more of an RPG with fighting elements. Tag me in.

After I recovered from my DR shock, ROAN went into the disc tray. So far, Mr. Ramsoomair has been correct. The game is an RPG that follows right along with the animated series. When you encounter an enemy, you enter fighting mode, similar to what you might see in a Final Fantasy game, but without the turn-based play. Here is where the fighting game comes in. Like an RPG, you have to level up and learn new attacks to use in fighting mode. The element I find most intriguing is the jutsu. You use each analog stick as the character's hands in forming the seals to perform the jutsu. It's a nice twist and break from the typical button mashing frenzy.

I only have one complaint about this game so far: I couldn't download the update needed to keep me logged in to Xbox Live during gameplay. My Xbox said it was my network connection, but as soon as I would switch out of the game, it could log me into Live without a problem. So I believe it's a Live issue, and not my network or console issue, especially since we've had no problems downloading updates with any other game. My concern, and yes, I know this is sad, is that I won't be able to obtain Achievements without this update since I can't be logged in to Live without it. (Like I said before, those Achievements are genius on Microsoft's part!) I haven't done enough yet to gain any of the Achievements listed for the game--even after three hours of gameplay!--but I'd like my Achievements to be registered because... because... um, well, because.

Gaming Resolutions for 08
I've let my gaming habits go out of control, so yes, I have added resolutions that are specific to gaming.

• I will not buy or start a new game until I've either beaten the games I'm currently playing or I've decided to quit the game entirely. Any games I quit entirely will be donated to Gamestop.
• I will beat Kingdom Hearts 2 and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess by the end of the year.
• I will write in my main blog AND gaming journal weekly.

I have other resolutions, but they don't exactly fit in with the gaming theme. ^_^

I hope that everyone has a fabulous 2008!