Freedom is a lot more addicting than I thought.

You have to understand that it isn't my fault that I have largely shunned "open" games. I was after all raised on console and arcade games that made me this way. They gave me each piece in the puzzle and even the directions to assemble it. I didn't need to worry about the fact that what the game was asking me to do was a blatant waste of time. Talk to the town baker, who will give you the golden pancake batter that you will then grill up to a nice golden brown to appease the ogre that is blocking the entrance to the cave that holds some pointless object that you need to impress the king so he will give you a key that you can then use to gain entrance to the vaults where an all powerful sword resides that you can use to free the princess from the clutches of evil. Nevermind the fact that the king is the one who wants you to free his daughter. He still makes you do all that crap. And we did it. And I've doing it ever since, for more than 20 years. And I probably will do it until the day I die. Because for some sick reason, I keep coming back.

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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. 

A welcomed addition for this reputable company.

It's been a while since I posted, but I'm still around, spending less time playing games and more time reading about them. I did just receive an interesting press release stating that Crutchfield has added gaming-related items to its other offerings. Usually I wouldn't be that excited about an announcement such as this, but considering the quality of Crutchfield (Consumer Reports has repeatedly given it the top nod for consumer electronics), this is good news.

The company is known for customer service, so if you're looking for answers to technical questions, you'll be able to get them answered properly, as opposed to the many, many times I've been flat out lied to by big box electronic stores just to try and get the sale. The fact that you can complete the home theater experience while picking up a PlayStation 3 is a definite plus.

NIS releases its latest PSP RPG and we've got videos of the game in action.

Developed by Hit Maker and published by NIS America, Dragoneer’s Aria is a tale of dragons, their protectors, and the struggle to save the world. In this PSP RPG, the balance of peace comes from six elemental dragons, worshiped by all, especially Dragoneers, elite knights who train and live to protect them.

Valen, a young academy graduate, is the hero who must fight a powerful black dragon set on destroying the world. Dragoneer’s Aria features item customization, timing-based mechanics, chain combos, dragon orbs that can be combined with weapons, and strategic turn-based combat. Besides the single-player adventure, there is also a team mode where up to 4 players can take on enemies together.

Check out the videos below for a look at some of the combat elements to Dragoneer’s Aria.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya9APFQkPP8

Summoning Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkjJoyys1v4

Dragon Skills Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYn0c5jLY5A

Guarding Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYgPzaKmIKA

Dead or Alive sticks everywhere rejoice, you're still the only option for Xbox 360 owners.

It looks like those wishing to profit from their Dead or Alive sticks will have another month until any competition arrives. The Hori-produced limited edition Virtua Fighter 5 stick has been delayed until early September. The stick cannot be pre-ordered from EB/Gamestop stores (according to 2 stores that I called), so you have to order it online.

With the Capcom remakes, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, as well as Virtua Fighter 5 and LIVE games such as Streets of Rage 2 (Yay!) on the way, let's hope the date won't slip any further. A lot of us prefer to use arcade sticks for much more than just fighting games, especially considering how horrible the 360 d-pad is.