Despite some brief fun, Umbrella Chronicles is far too shallow.

So, no I am not dead. I was on vacation and got to catch up on some serious gaming including Heavenly Sword (man this is a short game), Folklore (slow moving in the beginning, but gorgeous and interesting), BioShock (all I can say is an all-caps WOW), Stranglehold (I actually got a copy as a gift and am loving it), and Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, which I got to enjoy in 2-player glory all the way through to the end. I had some fun for the first 5 hours or so, but there just isn't enough substance to consider this a great addition to the Resident Evil universe. The addition of 2-player is a major plus and actually made me want to replay missions more often. More guns equals more chances to find all the hidden stuff in each level.

My first and biggest gripe is the lack of upgradeable handgun. It's the most used weapon and one that should be more versatile. Depending on the character, your handgun will be different, but none are too useful on the harder enemies. Another minor gripe? Using counter (which are really awesome for the some of the characters), puts you in closer range to other zombies and often equals getting swiped for some serious damage. Sure you can ready the shotgun and pop a quick headshot if you are lucky, but I was expecting it to be a little less dangerous and a little better at crowd control.

Overall, the game is fun and would definitely benefit from more missions, better weapon upgrades and management, and a cheaper price tag. Worth a rental, but probably not a purchase. It was nice traveling back through the history of the games and I can't wait to see what they do with 5.

Besides consoles, I spent more time on Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness PSP–an absolutely addicting game. I also jumped on the HD bandwagon and thanks to the $98 HD DVD sale at Wal-Mart, now own a couple HD DVDs and am actually wishing HD DVD would win the war (though I'm afraid it probably won't). Let's just say that upconversion on the Toshiba HD-A2 is fantastic and I needed a new DVD player anyway, so I can justify the purchase should HD DVD lose out. I also have decided to get a PlayStation 3 at Christmas time to enjoy all the stuff not released on HD DVD, which is primarily a lot of Asian Blu-ray releases, such as Old Boy, Flash Point, and Paprika. The nice thing about owning the hardware is that Netflix has huge libraries for both, meaning I don't need to own very many at all.

Well it's off to the Netherworld again. 

All celebrations should be like this.

As the ever-popular Xbox Live service nears its fifth anniversary in operation, Microsoft is rolling out some new aspects and surprises which is certainly going to delight its existing userbase…

Eight million members strong if you're actually curious about the stats. In appreciation of this milestone, Microsoft is generously treating its online community to a complimentary free Xbox Live game on between November 15, 12:01 PST and 11:59 November 16. Plus, members like myself who've been with XBLA back in 2002 will also receive 500 MS Points. FREE.

Oh yeah, there's more. On December 4th, Xbox Live will introduce yet another system update, introducing several new features and enhancements. The debut of Xbox Originals, a new series in which players will have the ability to download and own full Xbox 1 titles like Crimson Skies, Halo, Psychonauts, Fable and more. Great news for first-timers who missed these classic gems… the only thing that would be sweeter is hearing that these games would be getting some achievement love or graphic enhancements, but that's wishful thinking.  The titles will be available for 1200 MS Points per game. Hm… perhaps Capcom vs. SNK  won't be too far behind… with SOLID online multiplayer ? Please, please, please.

I am curious about the "new features and enhancements. Methinks I'll have to visit Major Nelson's blog to see if he's leaked any juicy details. 

Finally, the evil gameplay quirks have come to an end.

Admit it, you didn't think a patch was ever going to come out.

Well it's finally here and I for one, couldn't be happier. It was only a matter of time before Hudson would step up and release the much-needed patch to address some gameplay related issues affecting Bomberman Live. Though with the recent decline of online competitors, has the update possibly arrived too late? It seems I am one of the few actively diehard fans who actually bother with playing it throughout the week.

Much of the changes are directly related to the matchmaking and a few are actually critical to the actual battles themselves. I for one, am thankful that they've lowered the amount of time it takes to locate a match as well as adding the ability to preview matches before jumping into ranked games. Up till now, that used to be exclusive to player matches. And that new "Dangerous Bomb" combination sounds delightfully evil. Now if only they could do something about those darn quitters. Below is just a few of the improvements which the free update has tweaked:

After eleven long years, I have returned to my happy place.

[Note:  This is not an official review.  Rather, these are just my impressions after a few hours of hands-on time.  If this were an official review, the game would have been awarded an Official GotNext Seal of Absolute Supreme Awesomeness.]

Okay, so last night I get a creepy-yet-somehow-alluring phone call from Mario.  He's calling me on behalf of GameStop to let me know that my copy of Super Mario Galaxy will be available the next day.  Oh, and GameStop is a great place to trade in your used games.  Mario has become quite the corporate shill, it seems.

Anyways, I pick it up around lunchtime today.  The next few hours are brutal as I wait for my day to come to an end.  Usually, the mental image of supple breasts keeps me alert in those cumbersome afternoon hours.  Today, it's a pudgy man with a mustache.  The clock crawls along and I shake with anticipation. (more…)

Break out the duster, guess who's dusted off their keyboard?

Man, what day is it? These days, my life just seems like it's a total blur. It's like I live in a totally different era and all the sweeping changes in the past few years have been mind-blowing. Ok, maybe not — but when I announced months ago that I was a father — ya, that blew TONS of people away. That reality has finally settled in. Some five months later… Lindsay has reached the point where it's only a matter of time when those babbled utterances will convert into actual speech which I can comprehend into blissful things like "Daddy, I love you…", "Buy me this, NOW" and my personal favorite: "Why!?" But for now, she's still in that ever-so-enjoyable infancy period, discovering her hands and toes. Y'know… the things that make us parents cherish those monumental firsts that we wish could be timeless. I am living it all up now because as time goes on, things will get a lot more challenging, yet fun too.

I suppose a quick recap of what I've been up to is in order but that would take much longer than I have the desire to type out right now. What I can tell you is that I've definitely been exposed to a rich amount of different releases since the last time I've blogged, but… I keep running back to that classic Hudson franchise which the GN knows all to well. Bomberman Live still owns me. Sorry Halo 3, you may have managed to get the world to dedicate every waking moment to run 'n gun, but I can't pass up the chance to kick ass with the good 'ol Bomberman. And yes, I DID beat the game on the Legendary campaign mode, thank you very much. I even spent time unlocking those haha-easy-multiplayer achievements… but then I ran back to Bomberman Live. It's hard to say how much longer this game will occupy my time though. Super SF2 HD Remix will be out really soon, followed by MGS4, Super Smash Bros. Brawl (yeah, I am intrigued enough to play it). Truth be told though… the game is starting to lose interest. Halo 3 is mostly to blame and my guess is that the fans have just grown tired of playing it as much as me. I was hoping to hit the top 20 before the year was over, but with the gradual decline of players hitting up the Ranked matches, that goal may no longer be attainable. Sad is me. 

One thing… ok, there's a few things I can't stand about people on that. Number 1… people are HORRIBLE sports. Folks, don't host matches if you're just going to quit. Second, stop hating on minorities. If you really have something against blacks, hispanic, asians, etc…. get over yourself. Better yet, do the rest of us a favor and kindly pretend as if you lack the ability to communicate with the Xbox Live Communicator. Third… IT'S JUST A GAME. Actually… all you spoil sports need to plaster that verbiage on your wall or something. Too many players take it for granted that since they can play with an anonymously… that gives them a right to be jerks. It's unfortunate that MS is spending more time counting their cash then focusing on setting up proper administration procedures. I am told that Live is monitored often, but there still seems to be more punks than good-hearted players. Oh and don't even think about using the Feedback system… after awhile, if you put too many people down as "avoided" players… you'll be considered as a abuser of the system. OMG, you're screwed either way eh? LOL. 

I recently picked up a DS, purchased Zelda and played it for all of about oh… 2 days. Why? Read the last paragraph again. I am friggin' addicted folks. I do intend to go back to it though, just because I feel guilty for buying the damn thing and not giving it the quality time Link deserves. I really would just like to sit at home and play games all day… but still make lots of money. That's not an unrealistic goal is it? Perhaps I can find a job as a video game editor. Hm… now that's a good one!!! :p

I'll be back later next week to keep GotSpace lively again. Andrew and Kevin seemed to have died… or maybe their souls have been consumed by that blasted Master Chief. I am off to play Call of Duty 4, it's demanding my attention. X_x