Hey everyone. I noticed I have yet to write a blog in 2011, so I thought I might as well post an update of sorts. Here's what's been going on with me over the past month or so:

Vacation

I'm currently on vacation from school and enjoying it a whole lot. It's been about 5-6 weeks so far, and I haven't really done anything special. But simply not going to lectures is good enough for me! The only bad thing was that I had jury duty on my first week of vacation...luckily I didn't get picked for a trial. I start my second year at UC Davis in late September, so I still have plenty of time to relax.

GamerNode

I'm still writing for GamerNode.com, and it's been a really enjoyable experience. When I used to write for AceGamez, I'd do a review every now and then. But with GamerNode I have a more hands-on role, posting news every day and writing a monthly feature in addition to reviews. The free games are certainly welcome and I also get paid (not much, but I still think that's pretty awesome). I've even been invited to a few industry events in San Francisco (which I couldn't attend unfortunately because of school). The more and more I write for the site, the more I think journalism is the career path I should take. Whether or not that ends up being videogame journalism is up in the air, but if I do decide to try that out in the future I'll definitely have some experience under my belt.

Games

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

I finally beat Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, about eight months later. I took a really long break from the game because I had re-played ACII right before Brotherhood, and I guess it was a little too much Assassin's Creed at once. But I've had a blast playing Brotherhood over the past few weeks. I really like the improvements they made to the game with the enhanced combat and the assassin's guild. Standing back and watching my assassins take down enemies was incredibly awesome. And of course there was another crazy ending that has me eagerly awaiting AC: Revelations' release later this year.

Bastion

I was really looking forward to downloading Bastion this morning since I've been following Giant Bomb's coverage of the game for a while now (in their "Building the Bastion" videos). I played a good chunk of it today, and it's been great so far. The combat is both challenging and fun, there are plenty of customization and upgrade options, and the way the story is presented is intriguing. I even like the guy who narrates the entire game (though that may not appeal to everyone). It seems like every year there are one or two awesome downloadable games that end up on my short list for favorites of the year. I have a feeling Bastion might make that list by the end of 2011.

Catherine

Catherine doesn't come out until next week, but it's the next game I plan on purchasing (I'm also going to review it for GN). I've had my eye on this one for a good while now (also thanks to Giant Bomb). I'm still not completely sold on the puzzle gameplay since I could see it getting repetitive at some point, but the unique premise is just too good to pass up. A love triangle with two women named Catherine and weird sheep men...that sounds both bizarre and awesome.