Hey guys, it's certainly been a long time since writing one of these, but I'm dropping one down because I'm actually quite proud of my efforts.

I haven't been playing too many new games, partly because of my uninterest in the current standard, partly because I don't have much time, and partly because my computer is dying by the minute. So when I do have the time, I usually jump onto Quake III for a quick round.

I've actually owned Quake III since 2000, when I was a wee tyke pwning noobs at a third grade level. Satisfied with completing the game on "I Can Win", I put it away for a time, but over the last three years or so, I've been playing Quake III reguarly (offline I might add, I have beautifully failed to ever play the game online), slowly building my skill over time. All times I've tried Nightmare has usally been for a laugh just to see how ridiculously hard it is to win. I remember getting extremely frustrated with the game when I couldn't even beat Crash on Nightmare. Intensley angering.

And with that, I convinced myself Nightmare was impossible, and only the most amazing gamers could tackle the AI. So over the last year or so, I've been convincingly winning Hardcore difficulty over and over - to the point of boredom, but never trying my hand at Nightmare, for fear of losing again. I usually stick to DM17 (The Longest Yard) and know the map like the back of my hand.

So, last weekend, I looked and the big Nightmare button, and thought - "Whatever, if I lose, I'll be expecting it. Let's try it out." So I started up for Nightmare once again - but this time, it was slightly different. This time, I was right up there on the scoreboard. I eventually lost, but I knew that, with a small amount of practice, I could do it. Three tries later, I had. I had won Nightmare for the first time. I had done the impossible task. And so I moved onto one map to another, and slowly won nightmare again and again. I was actually surprised that what I once thought was downright impossible, seemed so basic now.

So I know it may not seem like a very incredible task compared to others, especially coming off the Olympics, hehe - but I decided that an eight year struggle with my favourite DM game that I finally conquered deserved a mention. If anyone actually bothered reading all of that, thanks.

1996. Duke Nukem 3d was released and changed the face of the FPS genre forever. Duke was worshipped as the top dog in the PC industry; expansion packs, mods, new stories and grand new ideas flocked the game, and became a massive success.

But back then there was stiff competition to the FPS market, and soon enough, with the release of Quake and Half Life, Duke Nukem 3d dropped away, having now reached legendary status and cemented itself as one of the greatest games of all time.

How then, could a sequel to this monumental game go wrong at all? Well, the evidence is clear. Duke Nukem forever was announced on April 28th 1997, to the cheers of thousands of rabid fans. Little did these rabid fans know that this newly announced game would not be released for at least another eleven years.

The game produced a teaser trailer in 1998 under the Quake II engine, then upgraded to the Unreal Engine in 1999 to the release of seven or so new screenshots. By 2001, many believed the game would never be released - it had been four years since the game was announced. However, a new trailer was released, looking absolutely stunning once again.

And since that day, the game fell into huge developement hell, and until 2007, nothing has been announced or released. It seemed that Duke Nukem had reached its final breath.

However, 2007 saw the release of three incredibly small screenshots of Duke Nukem Forever to prove to the world the original badass wasn't dead yet. Although small, the screenshots conveyed the amazing new Unreal 3 Engine graphics well, and suddenly Duke fans were whispers of Duke returning once again.

But today, finally, George Broussard, the head of 3d Realms officially announced the release of a new Duke Nukem Forever teaser trailer coming later today. Coupled with a brand new, high resolution screenshot, we could soon be reaching the end of this huge campaign spread over eleven years.

Most rejected the idea that Duke Nukem Forever will ever be released, and even if it was, it would be a crumbly mess. And although the game still hasn't been released, and no one knows for sure how good it will actually be, the future does look promising for Duke.

"Hail to the King baby." The king is back.

After weeks of speculation with friends, family, and anyone who knows anything about gaming, the dream finally came true for thousands of fans. For me, it's not just another installment in the StarCraft universe, or either another game in the Blizzard franchise - it's far more important. This is Blizzard's chance to hit back. As we all know, World of Warcraft has sold millions, and it appears Blizzard have found the way to earn a lot of money, without doing much at all. However, many believe, as I did, that Blizzard has sold out. They weren't looking to make the best game they could make anymore. They were simply looking at the profit.

And that brings us to around two weeks ago, when Blizzard told the world that there would be an announcement concerning a new game on May 19th. Frantic guesses. Was it StarCraft II? Was it a StarCraft MMO? A Diablo sequel, or just a new game all together? And suddenly, with Saturday just over the hills, the sequel to the near 10 year old, million dollar selling game, was announced. StarCraft II.

And with another of Blizzard's highly praised cinematics, we see a man walk into a huge mechanical room, suddenly being dressed with large chunks of metal armour, and cloth padding. His gun is fitted in place, gloves slid on, and we suddenly see a body shot, but not yet have we seen his face. Flashes of mutilisks flying, marines firing, and possibly a quick shot of Kerrigan tease us with more great action, and suddenly it flies up to the marine's face. And with the uttered line "Hell,it's about time," his helmet suddenly shuts tight, and the logo "StarCraft II" is revealed. It's about time indeed.

As blood rushed to my head, I could only hope this would be the standard for the rest of the game, and with the release of new screenshots, a gameplay trailer, and the Flash Website, one can only imagine how great this game could end up being. It shares a likeness to both the Warcraft games and the first StarCraft game, and although it doesn't break the mold in terms of technical graphics, it still looks great.

Although the release date is still fairly far away, with a 2008 speculation, we can still sleep tight at night knowing StarCraft II is in the works and in safe developer's hands. It currently looks just as high quality as any other Blizzard release, and if all goes to plan, we could be looking at another award winning title. And so as this post comes to a close, I've simply got three words for you. World of What?

 The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind was the only thing on my mind in the year of 2002. The huge game world and detailed environments were enough to get my hyped up. The towns were rich in life, the graphics were beautiful, and the gameplay value was monstorous.

Morrowind did come with it's faults, however. I think most would agree that the fighting system was a bit stale, with it mainly being a simple "mouse-button 1 mash". Also, at times the NPCs seemed less like living people, and rather like complex encyclopedias. There were also countless "crash to the desktop" bugs.

Enter The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The sequel noted nearly every single flaw that it's predecessor was weighed down by, and modified them in some way. Infact, nearly everything has been added, modified, and advanced in a smart and inventive way. The game is bigger, no doubt, the fighting is incredible, and the characters are believable, smart, and have been brought to life.

The last point is the result of a new AI system called Radiant AI. This implementation allows for some of the most advanced NPCs the Role Playing Genre has ever seen. Each character has their own 24 hour schedule. They walk the town, talk to others, and hunt their own food. Gone are the days where you can simply walk into a house, and murder a single victim. Now, if you attack a character, he'll run out of his house into a new cell (that's right, they can do that now), and consult a guard. The guard will then approach you, and, well, your screwed.

A new, amibitious, and lively new addition to gaming will never be without it's flaws, however, and in Oblivion's case, it's no exception. There are a few bugs that come along for the ride. I was walking the Imperial City in my journeys and came across a Breton who approached a Redguard. The Breton announced "Hello", to the Redguard, and the Redguard replied with "Hello you filthy Breton." The conversation then continued without the Breton every showing any signs of anger. These bugs are, however, nothing to worry about, because it's both exciting to know it's happening anyway, and the experiences are sometimes hilarious too.

But walking towns and gazing at the AI is just a small part in the massive, enourmous, and damn right fun game. I myself, have walked so little of the large world that I wonder if I should even be reviewing this game at this early stage. At any rate, the game is simply monstorous. But isn't just a desolate gameworld, it's detailed! There are dungeons, elven ruins, gateways to Oblivion, bandit camps, small towns, mountains, fortresses, cities, blockades, wanderers, and forts all set up throughout the game. There's enough there to keep you going for years. Enough to keep you going for years without quests that is. Quests are another story.

There are four main guilds to join throughout the game: The Fighters Guild, The Mages Guild, The Thieves Guild, and The Dark Brotherhood. They are all far more interesting, detailed, and unique than in Morrowind, and each look different, play different, and the characters within ARE different. For example, to get inside The Arcane University, a library dedicated to the Mages Guild, you have to gain recommendations from each Guild Master in each main city. Some are easy, some are more difficult, but they're all unique.

On the other hand, it's a different story to get into the Theives Guild and Dark Brotherhood. Since they prefer to keep themselves hidden, it is harder join than simply approach they're base, and sign up. In the case of the Thieves Guild, you are forced to go to jail first, for any reason. Once you are out, you will be approached by someone offering you the chace to join the Guild.

The main plot line, from what I've seen (I have hardly begun my adventures there), is incredibly detailed, and matches that of any other linear game, maybe even a movie. There is excellent voice talent from our friend Patrick Stewart, and the exciting Sean Bean. They do an excellent job in the game, even though Patrick Stewart's role is quite brief.

The graphics are amazing. In the dungeons, they are dank, dark, and interesting. Outside, the world is vast, huge, and the view distance is incredible. This comes at a price of course though. The textures, looking at them from miles away, are pretty shocking. They are low, and crummy, but it really doesn't matter with a view like that.

The music is absolutely incredible. I have no doubt you will totally agree with me after seeing the intro cinematic. Following the lines of "And the final hours, of my life..." suddenly richocet into a bang, and the classic Elder Scrolls theme we know and love is suddenly travelling at full pace when you read: Bethesda Softworks Presents. But it continues getting louder, and more dramatic, and it feels better than a movie.

There is so much more I'd like to talk about this game, but I just won't be able to fit it in, like the expansive character creation to rival The Sims 2, the intuitive inventory system, and the different and diverse environments. Let me just say, that this is one of the greatest games of all time, and goes straight to the top as my favourite RPG to date.