Assassin's Creed

One of this year's biggest hypes surrounding a next-gen console game is Assassin's Creed. The game encompasses Altair, an artisan of assissin craft. Playing as Altair, you will explore three cities during the 12th century crusades ear that entail such vivid graphics and minute details that it would seem that you could reach out and touch the world in which you are roaming. The game surounds one main goal, elusively kill, and the freedom in which you achieve your objectives is what makes this game rise high above its competitors. If this doesn't wet your lips enough to make Assassin's Creed a serious priority, perhaps this trailer will. Check it out.

Christmas List

In light of the Holiday season, here are some games you should definitely add to your Christmas wish list.

Xbox 360
1. BioShock
2. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Playstation 3
1. Assassin's Creed
2. Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
3. Rock Band

Nintendo Wii
1. Super Mario Galaxy
2. Metroid Prime 3: Destruction
3. Battalion Wars 2

Nintendo DS
1. Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales
2. Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
3. Final Fantasy III
(notice a trend here)

ANGER AND RAGE!

If you are an owner of an Xbox 360, as I am, than it is quite possible you have encountered the same agonizing frustrations with the system that I have. Aside from putting two scratches shaped in concentric circles onto my Fifa 07 game - which if I get into will really make me mad, hence it's better if I don't - my console itself has just entered its second malfunctioning phase. Let me explain.

It has been documented that about 5% of all 360s released were done so with "general hardware failures." When this occurs with the individual system, the once green light that signaled "power on" on flashes red. To gamers this is known as "the red ring of death". A bit over-dramatic? Perhaps. Regardless, this simple flaw in Microsoft's next-gen console is extremely annoying, especially since it would seem that my console falls into that dreaded 5%.

Not more than a week ago my system decided to display "the red ring of death".... again. That's right, this is the second time my 360 has failed me. So, knowing that i can't do anything but get it fixed once again, I offer anyone who has the same problems with their console a bit of advice - buy a Wii. It's just not worth fussing with all these annoying system malfunctions Microsoft. I mean, your 360 is supposed to be a next-gen console, but it can't fuction as well as the original NES. I give up with your terrible system and am moving on to hopefully better things. Hello PS3.

If for whatever reason your have an irresistable connection with your Xbox 360, and want to go through agony of fixing your system, check out this link

From a Woman's Perspective

Click here to listen to Meagan Lee discussing her views on the portrayal of women in video games and their overall involvement with them.

Interview With a Champion

I recently interviewed Michael Coleman, an experienced video gamer. Click this link to hear what he had to say about his Tony Hawk tournament experience

Overplayed Yet Underrated

With today's video game hysteria surrounding the three major next generation consoles - XBox 360, Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii - the brilliance of the Ninetendo DS has been lost in the shuffle, and I don't like it. For those of you who are unfortunately unfamiliar with the DS, here is a brief description of this breakthrough, handheld system:

"Nintendo DS... revolutionizes the way games are played with ultra-bright dual screens

and touch-screen technology. Connect wirelessly to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and put

your skills to the test against players across the room or across the world." (nintendo.com)

The advantage to this system, besides its seemingly infinite amount of available games and incredible gameplay, is its portability and size. You can't bring your 360 on a road trip or secretly play your PS3 at your girlfriends house, but you can do both with the DS. One of its coolest features is the capability to contact, interact, and ultimately game with any other DS gamer around the world via Wi-Fi. This communications feature has added a similar feature to that of the next-gen system's online capabilities. The graphics are crazy good for such a compact system, the gameplay is just as good as the reminiscent games you have all played on the super nintendo, and significantly outweighs the 360, PS3, and the Wii in terms of games available.

I'm not saying that this system makes the big 3 look bad, but it certainly should be included in the same prestigious class as the big 3.

Check out these games now available for DS:

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Final Fantasy III

Heroes of Mana

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08

Halo III: It's Finally Here

After three years the game of the century has finally arrived, and it was well worth the wait! Halo III finally ties this epic trilogy together, and this time provides its audience with a proper ending. The graphics in this game might be the best I have seen from any game ever created, and if you don't believe me think Fight Night Round Round III mixed with a dash of real life visual. Master Chief looks as real as ever creating even more of a connection between the gamer and their puppet, but what is more impressive is the diversity and artistic beauty created within each of the game's levels. For the first time in this trilogy, landscapes and battle zones are easily distinguishable from level to level. Halo is complete, and Bungie couldn't have done a better job visually - period.

When entering Halo III's first missions, Master Chief is accompanied along with many of the same weaponry, equipment, and comrades you have become used to in the the first two games of the series (i.e. the battle rifle and carbine, and your regular grenades and stickys). But as the game continues you are introduced to a number of new equipment features including new weapons such as the dual-wielding capable submachine guns and brute spikers. But the most creative addition to the Halo series is your ability to deploy several different equipment pieces that offer temporary defensive or offensive capabilities. For instance, often times you will see the brutes standing within a large bubble shield which protects them from all outside fire. Other pieces of deployable equipment include life shields and smoke shields.

Like any other game, Halo III does have its flaws. For one, the AI of your fellow military men is exceptionally poor. That being said, be prepared to take on every enemy by yourself. Also, just like in the first two games, you will inevitably need to back track through certain levels often times creating tedious gameplay and even the ability to become lost within the level (although there is an arrow indicating where you need to travel next). But do not worry, these flaws are nothing compared to the brilliance of the game; and to be quite honest may be stretches just to find some bad in game so full of good!

Halo III is the ultimate trilogy, a game near perfection whose brilliance far outweighs its flaws. If you do not have this game because you do not own an Xbox 360, my suggestion is go buy a 360 - that's how good this game is.

Coming Soon

It has always frustrated me to not know what games are coming out for different consoles, so here is a list of games that you should be sure to look for in the upcoming months:

XBox 360

Fifa Soccer 08 - (October 9, 2007)

Tony Hawk's Proving Ground - (October 15, 2007)

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - (October 28, 2007)

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - (November 5, 2007)

Playstation 3

Elder Scrolls IV - (October 16, 2007)

Ratchet And Clank Future: Tools of Destruction - (October 30, 2007)

Need For Speed Prostreet - (November 13, 2007)

Medal of Honor: Airborne - (November 19, 2007)

Nintendo Wii

MLB Power Pros - (October 3, 2007)

Manhunt 2 - (October 29, 2007)

Super Mario Galaxy - (November 12, 2007)

Soulcalibur Legends - (November 13, 2007)

Madden, You Hurt So Good!

I have been a Madden video-gaming lunatic since the franchise released its first game back in 1993 for the Super Nintendo game console. It can truly be said that there is no other virtual football game that can even compare or compete with Madden. Since its release, this gaming franchise developed by EA Sports has been one of the most significant and profitable games in the gaming industry. This game is so good, in fact, that many credible video game reviewers have labeled it one of the best games of all time - don't believe me check Cnet.com.

But let's get to the real point here. Madden's latest release, Madden '08, is sooo good and yet somehow it makes me want to break something, preferably not the game. The graphics are incredible, the sound is amazing, and the game has even explored weather tendencies of different locations around the country and incorporated that into the game.

Yea, yea, yea, so Madden '08 is perfect, right? Wrong!!! There is a devil - and please let me know how you feel about what I'm about to say - built into this game. What the heck is with all the fumbles!? If I am running with Willis McGahee (who just so happens to play on the greatest team in the NFL, ahem Ravens ahem) I am guarenteed at least one fumble per game. And this fact doesn't even take into account when it's raining. I fumbled 8 times in one game during bad weather. Really EA, is that necessary? If leading the league with at least 16 fumbles a season isn't enough to frustrate you to the point of violent action, perhaps the over-abundance of injuries is. During the course of any given game you will be forced to waste timeouts due to injuries. It's not that the injuries wind up being season ending or consistently catastrophic, it's that the same player will get injured more than once, twice even, in the same game. It's crazy and it's just not right. This makes me very mad EA, very mad.

There are other frustrating nuances including an artificial intelligence that has been programmed to know when you are passing or running every down (there are ways to overcome this) and a lack, meaning total absence in this case, of John Madden's commentary (although I am getting used to this after a third straight abandonment from the game). But these things, flaws if must call them that, are simply not even a stepping stone toward the demise of this franchise. Madden you rule the world of sport gaming, just please EA, please make the pain stop!

I Liked It Old School

Don't get me wrong, the newest next-generation systems like X-box 360 and Playstation 3 are incredible. Nothing can compare to their graphics and seemingly infinite amount of data storage space. But weren't you satisfied back when "up, down, up, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" was as normal a conversation starter as "wow, I wonder who got the boot on American Idol this week?" I mean that code solved all of my video-gaming dilemmas - it gave me 30 lives in Contra, made Castlevania a whole lot easier, and I even think it did my laundry once.

Here's the problem I have with the newest games - gameplay. Not only do the older consoles offer many more games, but they offer games with incredible gameplay. It seems that the new consoles (i.e. the 360 and ps3) have been so worked up on making the graphics as realistic as possible that they have forgotten that gameplay is always a platform's number one selling point. How many of you reading this post have played Sonic for Sega Genesis? Let's be honest, everyone! How many have played Sonic for the Game Cube or ps2? Probably a limited number (and yes Sonic exists on both of these consoles). What could possibly be the reason for this? I'll tell you, gameplay. In case you haven't read it enough yet, gameplay, gameplay GAMEPLAY!

Somewhere during the shift from 8-bit graphics to now, creating games with distinction and character has been lost. I long for more games with the quality equal to the Halo and Madden franchises (that's not to say that there aren't any other quality next-gen games). Until then, I still like it old school!