I've only played enough Infinite Undiscovery to complete my ten hour test, but I'm not sure it's enough to write a passable review. Normally I think it would, but since the game throws at you something else for you to do every chapter or so, I have no idea when the learning will stop. But in the first ten hours, Shawn said he could have made a drinking game out of my play time with how many times I said something was annoying.

So here is my list of the infinite annoyances:

• the fact that I have to physically unsheath my sword to fight
• the fact that I keep adding partymembers (I have fifteen so far) which means that I have to EQUIP fifteen partymembers and learn all of their battle skills
• the whole concept of connecting with my partymembers (some things are okay, like using their skills in battle, but to have to connect with them to talk to NPCs to trigger some cut-scenes... bleah)
• the horrible, horrible lipsynching
• the fact that I have to sheath my sword to open treasure chests or save my game or talk to NPCs
• too many segments where I have to run away from something
• too much crap on screen during fight scenes = poor visibility
• poorly place save points (place them BEFORE a boss fight... not twenty minutes before, is that so hard?)

And that's all I remember right now.

Despite everything that annoys me, I'm hooked. The story has me in its tight, annoying fist. Also, there's flute playing. I'm a sucker for flute playing. So I'll keep trekking along until Fable II comes out next week.

And it looks like I won't finish this one this time around either. Don't get me wrong, I really want to. But I have so much other stuff to play. And I'm on the second to last chapter of the game! Sephiroth has gone insane, Cloud proved that he can do more besides roll around on the ground in pain, and Zack has been declared KIA by his organization, when he clearly is not. I'm DYING to finish the story. (Yes, I already know how it ends. That isn't the point.) The missions are only getting in my way.

Granted, the missions are pretty much the only way to acquire decent spells and equipment and to level up. Whole chapters in the story don't involve fighting at all, which is the only way to spin the DMW. I don't hate them or anything (they allow me to level up... this is a good thing), but right now they really remind me of Jiminy's Journal. Like I said earlier, I'm in the second to last chapter, and at the start of this chapter, an additional twenty percent of the missions unlock for you. When you get to the last chapter, about another ten to fifteen percent unlock. Last save point before final boss fight in KH2, anyone?

I had originally planned to complete all the missions this time around. Heh, ain't happening. The story is just too darn good to postpone. I'm sure that there is a save point right before the final boss in this game as well, so I can come back and finish the missions at a later date. I already know I'll play this game again. Just for the fact that I have a spell called Hell Thundaga makes me want to play it again. And the cut-scenes. The cut-scenes are oh so pretty.

Besides, I have three new RPGs I'm ready to play and write about. Scratch that, four. Three on the Xbox and one on the DS. No, five. I forgot about Mass Effect.

Shawn and I have not gotten The Force Unleashed... yet. I need to finish either Crisis Core or KH2 first. My money is on Crisis Core. I've set a new goal for myself to have KH2 finished by the time Re: Chain of Memories comes out in December. No, that doesn't count the damn journal.

I am LOVING Crisis Core. My only wish is that I had more time to play it. (Someone needs to start taking longer naps.) I've completed 40% of the missions and I'm on Chapter 8 of 10 in the story. I really would like to complete all the missions, but I'm at the point where they're all freaking hard. I'm trying to level up so that they aren't as brutal, but well, I'm at the mercy of the DMW gods for that. If anyone is interested, I did write a review of the game. I'm pretty pleased with it.

I haven't been emotionally moved by a game since I played the first Kingdom Hearts. This one just tugs at my heartstrings. I have a feeling that I'm going to cry at the end because I know from FFVII that Zack does eventually get killed, and I have a feeling it happens at the end of this game. Right now I'm just waiting for Sephiroth to snap. So far, Sephiroth and Zack are pretty close friends, but I know that doesn't last. I'm also guessing that Zack's death is what makes Cloud a decent warrior. Right now he's kind of a pansy.

I gave Viva Piñata a chance last week, and even though I see the appeal to it, it's not for me. It's a brightly colored Sim City with a very annoying tutorial. I always liked Sim City, but I always got bored with it after a few hours. This goes down the same path. Although, it is interesting to smack piñatas around with a shovel and to try to get them to have sex.

But why am I bothering to play this game when I still have KH2 to finish? And I got new RPG presents in the form of Lost Odyssey and Mass Effect! Bye-bye piñatas. It's time to get back to a gaming genre I absolutely love. Besides... I may become a RPG reviewer for one of the companies I freelance for. It's time to focus!

I may as well give up on ever finishing Wind Waker. >_<

We've had the Xbox for almost a year now, but we've never taken a trip to the LIVE Arcade. I don't know why, we just never have. But this past month, I have heard glowing raves about a couple of new Arcade games out: Braid and Geometry Wars 2. Then Kombo had three Arcade games up for game of the month for August: Braid, Geometry Wars 2, and Castle Crashers. The guys were getting into an argument about Braid, an Arcade game, being far better than Mercenaries 2, a first-person shooter that lets you drop bombs on whoever you want to.

Maybe it's time I visited the Arcade.

I downloaded the trial versions of Braid, Castle Crashers, and Geometry Wars 2. I've never played the first version of Geometry Wars, but what the hell. I've never played the first three installments of Devil May Cry either, and I don't see a reason to.

Braid is not for me, but I see why our editor in chief was so adamant about crowning it the game of the month. It's a 2-D sidescrolling platform game. It really has a lot of Super Mario influence when it comes to killing enemies and jumping puzzles. Shake it up with a power to rewind time like Prince of Persia, and you have something a little more unique. What captivated me the most was the audio and visual department. The backgrounds are beautiful watercolors, and the music is a lone violin so beautiful, I want the soundtrack. After three levels of figuring out jumping puzzles, I was more than done. I won't delete it though, because I may just start up the game and leave it running just for the music.

Castle Crashers is far more my style. The artwork is more on the silly end, like little kids drew the knights and enemies. But it's hack n' slash. And it's funny. And up to four people can join in on the wacky smackdown with swords. I may purchase this one.

The big winner was Geometry Wars 2. Remember the ancient arcade game Asteroids? It's like that, but not as frustrating. You move your "ship" with the left analog stick, and fire with the right analog stick. Your enemies: geometric shapes. Your mission: destroy as many as you can in three minutes. It sounds retardedly simple, but it's harder than it seems. Combine that with kaleidoscope technicolor and catchy techno music... you have brightly colored crack. Shawn and I both had a blast playing it. We're definitely going to buy it.

I'll be visiting the Arcade a little more often.

No Jedi mind trick needed here.

I downloaded the free demo of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on Xbox LIVE the day of release because well, this game just looks cool. The trailers have nothing on the greatness of this game. Hurling Stormtroopers into one another is a feeling I just can't describe.

My only complaint about the game was the controls, but I can't fault the game for it. I'm just not as familiar and comfortable with the Xbox controller as I need to be, but I know that would come with time.

Well, I won't be learning those controls. I downloaded the demo on the PS3 to compare. The games graphics-wise are the exact same, so no big deal there. As I've played with a PlayStation controller for far longer than Xbox, I was far more comfortable with the controls on the PS3 demo. Shawn and I ended up fighting over who got to play the demo next. Needless to say, this game has ended up in the Want! list.

If you have an Xbox or a PS3 and have an ounce of Star Wars fandom, stop what you are doing and download the demo NOW. You will not be disappointed.

I've said since I started Crisis Core that the gameplay was a little... weird. The first downer was the eight page tutorial e-mail that Zack receives at the beginning the game. So I have to READ how to play? You aren't going to teach me? This is almost as bad as having to refer to the instruction manual. Not that I could have comprehended half of the things mentioned in the tutorial in the first read. It wasn't until I had logged a couple of hours that I finally understood what it all meant.

However, that isn't the most annoying aspect thus far.

When Zack enters into Combat Mode (you can't miss it... you hear a computer female voice say, "Activating Combat Mode" when you encounter an enemy), a little slot machine-like device in the top left hand corner starts to spin. They call this the DMW (Digital Mind Wave), but it's a glorified slot machine. You use SOLDIER points instead of coins to spin it. Instead of receiving coins when you match three in a row, you get limit breaks, summons, and leveling up. Yes, you read that correctly. You have ZERO control over when to use a limit break, summon, or even how you level up. It's ALL based on chance, baby. Granted, the more times you go into battle, the more chances you have in getting the DMW to spin you a level increase. So it's like earning experience... but not really.

The strange method of leveling up doesn't bother me half as much as the lack of control in summoning and limit breaks, especially when the enemy can summon or land limit breaks whenever they want to. They aren't at the whim of a DMW. As fate would have it for me, I never seem to get a limit break when I'm fighting a boss, only when I have wimpy enemies to fight. It feels like a complete waste of a limit break, when one more sword slice would do the trick. The DMW takes ALL strategy out of a fight, except for which materia and armor to equip for spellcasting and defense.

Am I going to finish it? Well, yes. Despite the fact that I'm at the mercy and whim of a slot machine, the game is absolutely beautiful and the story is intriguing.

I have not been able to put Lego Indy down. I had all the intentions in the world in making it plane entertainment for my flight next month, but a four hour road trip changed all that. So I played it all the way down to Houston and all the way back home. I played it yesterday when Shawn came home and relieved me of screaming baby duty.

My results: Secret guest unlocked, all parcels posted, all but three artifacts assembled, true adventurer status achieved on all levels, and two of the three hidden levels have been unlocked. To unlock the last one, I need to finish building three artifacts, but I've pretty much given up on those. I know where the remaining pieces are, but attempting to retrieve them has been quite frustrating. But I'm fine with that. It's time I let go of the Indy crack and get back to Crisis Core.

I can't comment too much on CC as I've only logged a few hours. I can say that the combat is hack n' slash rather than turn-based, but I haven't figured out the leveling up or limit break system. It's strange to say the least. More on it later.

My sister gave me back Professor Layton over the weekend, so now the pressure is on for me to finish it. I think it will be a good game to play during Gabe's naps or the times he plays in his gym mat. Yes, I'm actually going to attempt to play two games at once! Three, if I can't lay off the Lego Indy.

Yep, I beat the story mode for Lego Indy. Game clock at thirteen hours. Obviously I have a lot to do in Free Play mode, as the game claims I've completed only 58%. Hey, it's more than half. I'm somewhat happy. I've started to dabble in Free Play mode, and it's fun, although it feels a bit tedious since I've been through it before. Sure, it's fun to switch through many characters and unlock areas I couldn't before, but well... it's not enough to make me sit and do the whole thing all over again... right now. Oh I plan on finding all the artifact pieces and unlocking the hidden levels. Just not right now. Not when I have FF7:Crisis Core and The World End with You begging to be played. I do have an upcoming flight to Atlanta that will warrant plenty of Indy-artifact-hunting. So yes, I do love this game and do recommend it to any and all Indy fans and those with any sort of sense of humor. If you don't chuckle during the first cut-scene... I can't help you. I weep for you.

Now as for which game to play next, I believe a decision of this magnitude should fall within the realm and will of the coin-tossing-gods.

Shamelessly stolen from Jeph Jacques

I had familial company this weekend, but it didn't stop me from playing Lego Indiana Jones at every spare moment. Oh, you want to hold the baby? Gabe is ready for a nap? You're discussing boring things I don't care about? GREAT! Ah PSP... how I love your stand-by mode.

This game has so many things I love. For starters, the camera isn't nearly as annoying as it seemed in Lego Star Wars. That cut down on the potential frustration level considerably. I haven't laughed out loud during so many cut-scenes in any of my other games. I look forward to every cut-scene to see what wacky antics the Legos twist into the movies. I've even laughed at some of the attacks the characters have. Indy using his whip to steal kisses is definitely at the top of my list. Yes, I'm aware this game dabbles in platforming. For some reason, it doesn't bother me. I'm pretty sure that reason is the fact that you really don't die.

I've gotten through Raiders of the Lost Ark thus far, but I've only found about a third of all the artifact pieces. I have a feeling that this will be one of the few games that I actually do try to complete every little teensy aspect, unless I feel that I need to share the love with other games in my queue.

In addition to Indy love, I spread the joy and love of Professor Layton. I recommended the game to my sister awhile ago, but I had her play a little bit of it to make sure she liked it before either of us bought it for her. Well, she's ended up borrowing the game until I go to Houston in a couple of weeks. I figure she'll either have it beaten by then, or she'll have bought her own copy. Either way, I'll want it back by then because at this rate, I'll have at least completed the story mode of Indy.

My friend Laura spread her love of The World Ends with You this past Friday. After editing a review, I was not interested in this Squenix installment. The gameplay seemed way too wonky, and after Chain of Memories, I'm done with the wonky systems. She asked me to give it a chance, so I obliged. The gameplay is wonky, but it's fun! It has promptly been added to my Want! list. Not that I need to want any more games, but this hobby has never been about needs.

No, it's not my PSP's birthday, but it did get a new game for my birthday. My fellow gamer friend Laura blessed me and my PSP with Lego Indiana Jones. I wasn't a fan of Lego Star Wars after watching a friend play it, but this one looked a little more promising. And the commercials made me laugh. So I think that FF7:CC will lose its place in line for playing time. I'm at the final boss in Puzzle Quest, so my PSP should get some love soon. Maybe today. The final boss in PQ has twice the amount of HP from any other boss and well, ME, so it looks like it will take quite a few tries to beat his sorry butt. And honestly, I've hit my limit in how much I can play an attack form of Bejeweled. I'll save it for my next plane trip.

I mentioned quite a few months ago that pregnancy made me unable to stomach graphic violence in video games. I really hoped it was a temporary effect of pregnancy. Turns out, it's a permanent one. I watched E3 coverage on G4 most of this past week to help me prepare for editing articles for Kombo.com. I swore I was going to get physically ill from the demo footage of Dead Space. It hit me at that point that I was never going to be able to attempt to play Dead Rising again. I'm a little sad about it, because it seemed like such a crazy fun game. I laughed at the comics written about it, and I enjoyed the game reviews. But I can't play a game I can't physically handle. I am officially a pansy, but I've accepted it. I called a friend of mine who loved borrowing it from a friend when he lived in Seattle, so he's getting my copy. At least I know it will be loved by someone. At least I made one Achievement before quitting. Hee.

Still playing a lot of Puzzle Quest when I get a few minutes to myself. I thought I only had a few more battles left. Turns out, I only had a few more battles in the first chapter left. I'm on chapter three right now, and I think I'm almost done with it. I have no idea how many chapters are left. I'll go a couple of more, but not much farther than that since the gameplay, as addictive as it is, does get old quickly. Besides, I'm ready to turn on the PSP and crank out Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core.

It's that time of year again, and my TV is tuned to G4 and my laptop is ready for frenzy copy editing. But just because I have to be poised and ready to edit doesn't mean I can't write a teensy bit. So here are my brief thoughts of the big three press conferences.

Microsoft:

• Plenty for fans of first-person shooters, typical of the Xbox
• Shawn will love Halo Wars -- a RTS for the 360
• Oooh Last Remnant. Me want!!
• Whoa, Final Fantasy XIII will NOT be a PlayStation exclusive? Hath Hell frozen over??
• Netflix has partnered with Xbox LIVE? Sign me up!

• The Motion Plus add-on for the Wii-mote could make gameplay easier or harder. I hear a lot of foul language when it comes to golf games in the future.
• Not sure what I think of Wii Music...
• Shawn will be all over Call of Duty: World at War with that rifle-like peripheral attachment for the Wii-mote.
• Hints towards new Mario and Zelda games... I better get a move on finishing Twilight Princess.
• Reggie Fils-Aime just turned down all rumors and notions of a slimmer DS design coming out this year. Thank God, because I don't want to trade my DS in yet. Of course, he just said this year. Who knows what 2009 will bring.

• Still no Home??
• Games for the PS2?? WTF
• Looks like there will be plenty of games of interest coming out for both Shawn and me on the PS3. *coughLittleBigPlanetKillZone2cough*
• The PlayStation Network video store will give LIVE a run for its money. I'm already forgetting about the Netflix partnership.