Achievement unlocked

I'm obsessed with Xbox Achievements. You know those things that pop up at the bottom of the screen when you do something and there's that satisfying BA-CLINK sound? They usually reward you with some points for killing a certain bad guy or beating the game or any number of things. That's what I'm talking about.

When I first got my Xbox 360 years ago I couldn't care less about them. I thought they were just silly, forcing you to do dumb things to just get a higher gamer score that you can show off to your friends. That was the old me.

I started working at EB Games and ended up working with a bunch of guys that were the complete opposite of the old me, they were "achievement whores". I thought they were silly, playing the games specifically to unlock more achievements which in turn increase your overall 360 gamer score. The gamer score is tied in with your xbox live online account and is on display for everyone to see. They saw mine and it was pitifully low compared to theirs. I guess I'm kind of a competitive guy by nature and this was my call to arms. I wasn't going to be the loser with the lowest score (or so I thought)!

It didn't take long for me to start playing games and doing the side missions, doing things you normally wouldn't in the game, or beating it on a harder difficulty. The funny thing is that I loved it. They made the games so much better in so many ways. It extended my time with the game, making me feel like I was getting more for my money. It made me do weird things that I normally wouldn't, which was either funny or awesome. It made me test myself and gave me more satisfaction beating the games and achieving more with it.

I was thinking more about it the other day while looking through my old games that I regret not getting more achievements in (damn you Rainbow Six: Vegas) and it occurred to me that this new gamer score idea isn't anything new really. Getting the high score is what games first used to be. It wasn't about beating the level because the levels would just go on until you die, it was all about the high score. The 360 gamer score is now just the extension of that old style of gaming. Despite how far games have come, its kind of funny how the old ideas manage to creep back in and make gaming that much more fun.

So if you haven't been working on achievements (or trophies on the PS3) go and try and get some because you might be surprised at how much fun it is.

Best Videos...again!

Here are some new videos of video game related stuff. I love people getting angry at games. This. Is. SERIOUS!

Warning there is some bad language and it might be loud!

Angry Professional (yes, professional) World of Warcraft players -

Top 10 games of 2010 (part two)

Here is the second half of my top 10 list! The write ups are a little longer because a) I'm bored and b) its the top five!

5. Heavy Rain (PS3)



Heavy Rain, a PS3 exclusive, is billing itself as more of an interactive story than video game per se. The story is told from multiple characters which the player plays however each story is very different and dependent upon the other characters. The player controls various characters all trying to catch a serial killer in a depressing noir setting. The designers are attempting to blur the line between film and game which hasn't been done with much success in the past, however it might be the first serious attempt at it. The designers are responsible for Indigo Prophecy, on the Xbox and PS2 (and can be bought through the 360 Marketplace) which was actually a pretty awesome game right until the end. If anything the game will hopefully tell a decent story like their previous release.

4. Halo: Reach (360)



The new Halo. Bungie has always delivered and this promises to increase the amount of enemies on screen at once, add squad based combat (four other Spartans fighting with you) and also throwing in a graphical overhaul. Everything with Reach is shaping up to be impressive and is giving Halo fans exactly what they've wanted for years now; bigger fights with more allies. So far it looks incredibly fun and if they can capture the fun that was ODST, namely the Firefight multiplayer mode Halo: Reach will be something to look out for. Conversely, if you never liked Halo this really is just more of the same including cliched storytelling...which I think is the franchises' worst problem. However I will be optimistic until I play it!

3. God of War 3 (PS3)



Sony is really starting to turn it around. With big releases in the past few months such as Uncharted 2 and MAG and more PS3 exclusives on the way like Heavy Rain and the big daddy God of War 3 releasing in March, Microsoft needs to keep it's eye out. My prediction is it will blow everyone away but won't stray at all from the usual God of War gameplay that made it famous. Part of me will be happy to go back to playing the familiar Kratos that I've killed millions of bad guys with but part of me was expecting something a little different and a little more fresh. I tried out the demo and it was cool but like I said, didn't bring a heck of a lot of new ideas but it is of course just a demo. The two previous games have been fun as hell and had some good character development with tight controls and gameplay so at least we know we'll be playing a highly polished game. The "moving" levels where you fight on the huuuuuge Greek titans will probably be the most interesting thing so I hope they manage to do something fresh with that. This will be a must buy in March.

2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC)



A MMO in the top two?! Yes! You play either a Jedi, Sith, Bounty Hunter, Smuggler, etc in the Star Wars universe with thousands of other people. I'm not even a big Star Wars fan but I think this game is why the Internet was invented. I can't even decide on what kind of character to be because they all sound amazing. Not to mention that they all have their own storylines (like in a single player game) but you can also play with your best buds fighting tougher guys that require dozens of other Jedis! I should also mention that this is the Knight of the Old Republic universe of Star Wars, which is set before the movies, BUT that's not a bad thing. Its actually the perfect setting for a MMO because it was during the big war between the Jedi and Sith when they almost wiped each other out. I'm probably not exactly correct on that because I'm not a huge Star Wars fanboy but I think it's pretty close. I haven't played an MMO since WoW over a year ago now but this will be the one to bring me back.

1. Splinter Cell: Conviction



This game has been pushed back and delayed more times than I can remember and everytime I hear about it I get a little sadder but the end is near. I feel like Bart at Kamp Krusty when he keeps chanting that "Krusty is coming" and goes crazier and crazier but the thing is Krusty DOES show up! So the moral of the story is this game will eventually be released (they're saying April now) and when it finally arrives it will be the best game to come out that year (lets hope its 2010). The premise is you're a bad ass spy and do bad ass things playing by your own rules. It's the fifth in the Splinter Cell series and if it can improve upon Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory it could be the best game ever made. Cool things in the game - Neat conspiracy theory story, amazing co-op missions which are separate from the main story and the coolest mission briefing thing which projects information onto buildings and walls, it's hard to describe but its impressive looking.

2010 GOTY Prediction



Splinter Cell: Conviction is my prediction for 2010 Game of the Year if there are no surprise releases this year. However I think the most popular pick for Game of the Year will be Bioshock 2 but I don't really care about that game so I didn't even put it on my list! That ends my huge list/post thanks for reading!

Top 10 games to look forward to this year (part one)

There are a crap load of games coming out this year but a lot of them look like they are going to suck. This will be a two parter showing off what I think will be the 10 best games coming out in 2010. Here are the first five

10. Dante's Inferno (360, PS3)



Yes, this is the video game for the poem by Dante. And yes it is as ridiculous as you can imagine. The story is "loosely" based on the poem in the sense that you go to hell (that's their clever marketing slogan by the way) and you save Beatrice and I'm assuming kill Satan. I also hate the design of the main character. That being said I tried the demo and the game is actually pretty fun. Its mostly a God of War clone but there is nothing wrong with that when it's one of the most fun game franchises ever made. I don't think it'll be the biggest of best game of 2010 but it will definitely be something to look out for.

9. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)



The first Super Mario Galaxy was awesome. This one will be awesome as well, possibly even more awesome. Mario is great and everyone loves him and I am calling this as the best Wii game of 2010.

8. Red Dead: Redemption (360, PS3)



There are not enough Wild West games in existence and I really don't know why. The setting is perfect for an open world game and I'm glad it's finally being done. I have a feeling this game will be very hit or miss but I'm putting it on the list simply because the premise is so excellent. Don't let me down!

7. StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty (PC)



I thought this would rank higher on my top 10 list but I'm honestly not super excited about it despite it potentially being the best selling game of 2010. I enjoyed the first one 10 years ago but SC2 still doesn't look like it is enough of an improvement over the original. I still want to play it though and once I get into it I'm sure it will be impressive.

6. Alan Wake (360, PC)



Alan Wake looks like it will be one of the oddest games to come out in 2010. The premise is that Alan is some writer that finds his latest horror book is coming to life all around him. Theres shadowy beings that can possess objects, atmospheric settings and neat light and gun gameplay. This game has been in development for ages so it will be nice to finally get to play it this year and see if the wait was worth it.

I'll post up the next five tomorrow...or the day after. I'll also include my prediction for 2010 Game of the Year!