Absense makes the...

...gamer more aggressive! I will be away from my PS3 for a few weeks: I am going to Sydney Australia (for fun) and Singapore (for work). So "Anguissette" will not be on PSN until March 1st. The flight to Sydney is 14 hours! And the flight home from Singapore is 19 hours! I'll survive by sleeping (Ambien), reading (La Reine Margot, Blink, and Philip K Dick book), and my PSP (God of War: Chains of Olympus and Patapon). I know it is not relative to this blog, but maybe I'll post some pictures when I return.

But when I get back, Look out!

The Merlion and "Durian" building in Singapore

Up in Flames!

It's amazing how fast your weekend plans go up in flames!Call of Duty announced that this weekend (30Jan - 01Feb2009) will be double points weekend again. The post does not specifically say this is only for CoD:WaW, but that is where I will play. Also, two new games will be added: Team Tactical and Mercenary Death Match - both are already on COD4:MW. I was going to finish Tomb Raider: Underworld (enjoying it!) and watch the Cards squeak past the annoying Steelers, but "Duty Calls!"

Charting Drake's Fortune

I finished Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and, to be brief, I really enjoyed it. I did it on medium difficulty (I don't usually play through a game twice, so I skip easy and I don't want to be frustrated on hard), and it took me 10 hours of playing time. I really like the scenery - and it (scenery and story) takes a big change the last 80% of the game. I thought the cut scenes and voices were entertaining. The one vehicle level was the highlight of the gameplay (riding a jetski upstream shooting baddies at every turn), followed by the platforming. My least enjoyed part of the game was all the shooting - it was needed and it was fun, but there was too much of it. How many mercenaries are on this island? Naughty Dog (the developer) didn't bog down the story with a lot of characters. If a new bad guy came along, the old one was killed. I liked Nathan Drake - an identifiable character. Elena was OK, but I would have had more co-operative puzzles and game scenarios with her (like Resident Evil 4+).

The puzzles were easy - hints popped up even before you had a chance to search. I'm not complaining, it kept the gameplay moving.

Some brief tips:

• Change guns often - you get rewards for using different guns.
• Always look for hidden treasure.
• Don't forget about hand-to-hand combat.
• An orderly attack: Snipers, Grenade launchers, shot gun (don't let them get close), and the rest. Use cover.
• Enjoy the view.

And there are Nazi's in this game - I hate those guys!

I bought this game used - that was a wise investment.

Will I go back and get all the trophies? Probably not. I finished this game so I could move on to Tomb Raider and prepare for Uncharted 2!

Bioshock for $20 at Best Buy

If you want to take on this guy:

First go to 2kGames and print the $10 off dollar coupon.

Then bring it to Best Buy before January 31st. Also bring one of these: Walk out with one of these:

That was easy. Let me know if the game was worth $20.

The Console Battle - my take

I get into many discussion about which system is better. I know that the PS3 is. But, just like I am willing to forgive obnoxious Pittsburgh Steeler fans, I understand why other gamers prefer their 360 or Wii.

If you are a casual gamer, all you care about is the game - it doesn't matter which system it plays on. With all the awesome multi-platform games last year, you couldn't loose. If there was an exclusive game (LBP, GeoW2, L4D) , then your favorite system plays that game.

I believe that any intelligent person who owns both PS3 and XBOX360, will tell you that the technology and the value of the PS3 are better. I believe a Wii (there is one in my house), serves a different market (girls and families). But who cares about technology, value, and market when you are immersed in a absorbing game.

Value Comparison Chart

Variety magazine has an interesting article about the PS3. Please read it. I really don't care if the PlayStation3 becomes really popular and is proclaimed the King (or Queen) of the Consoles. I just want it to sell enough so game developers make great games on it. (Let me encourage you to BUY your PS3 games and make developers happy.) Let me tell you the only reason I would be tempted to buy an XboX: many of my friends around the world own one. We can talk together about our Call of Duty experiences, but we can't play together. I'm a little saddened by that. BUT, I have made many new (faceless) friends on the PSN and Home; I'm glad to game with you.

Perfect for Halloween

One of the PS3 Blog sites had a link to a girl who dressed up as Faith from Mirror's Edge. I guess if Lara Croft can have 'real world model,' so can Faith.

"Everyone green up!"

According to PlayStation SOCOM Blog, the 1.30 patch for SOCOM: Confrontation is ready for download. I'll be on-line Saturday morning (10Jan2009) on one of the USA East servers. I'm glad I did not spend too much time playing before (like I had time), because Slant 6 will be "clearing all player statistics." I'm sure that will be a popular decision.