• 25Nov 09

  Mmmmmmmm.... report card....

  Physical Education 11 86.4%

  English Accelerated 11/12 79.0%

  Religious Studies 11 80.0%

  French 11 75.0%

  Art 11 72.2%

  Biology 11 78.0%

  Social Studies 11 87.6%

  Math Principles 11 66.6%

  Overall Average to date: 78.1%

  I'm not disappointed, my parents aren't disappointed, all's lookin good thus far.

  • Posted Nov 25, 2009 3:51 pm PT
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• 21Nov 09

  My favourite games of 2009, so far

  While 2009 is far from over, and I've notably yet to play Assassin's Creed II, there have been more than a few titles this year that have impressed me in one way or another, and while I can only name one champion at the end of the year, it's always a good thing to recognize the games and their developers for their hard work that has put a smile on my face. Here we go...

  Killzone 2 (Playstation 3, Sony, Guerilla Games)

  

  The first time I played Killzone 2 was back in November 2008, where I was lucky enough to get a chance with the multiplayer beta. The moment I laid my eyes on the game, my jaw hit the floor and shattered. Not only does Killzone 2 boast great technical merits, but the game also has one of the most engrossing and distinct art directions of any shooter in recent memory. The story was surprisingly well rounded with pretty good character development, the enemy AI is still some of the most impressive I've seen, and the multiplayer went over the top to deliver a very fun and addictive experience. It takes quite a bit for a game to get more than 40 hours out of me, and Killzone 2 is one game that's done just that. Relentless pacing, brutally visceral gun combat, outstanding visuals, and awesome multiplayer are the cards of Killzone 2, it plays every single one of them to great effect. If you love first person shooters and don't mind heavy controls, you absolutely need to experience Killzone 2; it's one you won't soon forget.

  Resident Evil 5 (Playstation 3, Capcom)

  

  Resident Evil 5, while pretty damn good, disappointed me. In no way does it capture the feel of Resident Evil 4; whether that be in terms of atmosphere, pacing, story, or even overall gameplay. Instead of making you feel tense and on your heels, immersed in the experience, Resident Evil 5 is a lot more of an arcade ****shooter that doesn't even beat its competition of games such as Gears of War 2. That being said, it looks friggen awesome, features some really fun coop, and it's never boring to deliver a shotgun to the face of a zombie. Resident Evil 5 was fun, but it wasn't quite as good as I was hoping for.

  Skate 2 (Playstation 3, Electronic Arts, Black Box)

  

  I love Vancouver-based game developers, mainly because I'm from there, and partly because they're able to make stylish and innovative games, such as Black Box with Skate 2. Running at 60 frames per second this time, it looked better than ever (spare some blurring), as well as adding a ton of new tricks that were oddly missing from its predecessor. Rest assured, it's a better game than Skate, but it just doesn't have that "phresh" feel the first game had. The new multiplayer kept me occupied for a few months, and the new city was even better designed than before.

  UFC 2009: Undisputed (Playstation 3, THQ, Yuke's)

  

  I've been spending a stupid amount of time with UFC 2009: Undisputed. It's really one of the more surprising titles this year for me, I was not expecting to be this happy with the final product. Yes, it's got a bad career mode, and it's easy to get your tail handed to you online, but it does the basics better than right. There's nothing quite like getting into a 5 round bout with somebody on the couch next to you, to have a flash knockout or a submission, and to see the upset look on their face. It's easy to spend a long time with this game. Trust me, I know.

  
  Flower (Playstation 3, Sony, thatgamecompany)

  

  What is Flower? Is it a game? Beats me. What I do know about Flower is that it's one of the most beautiful and tranquil experiences 10 dollars can buy. It tells a story without telling a story, it has objectives without telling you a word, and it puts pretty awesome use to the SIXAXIS controls. It's not a game, but it's pretty awesome.

  Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360, Microsoft, Bungie)

  

  I was starting to feel Halo was becoming obsolete. I hadn't played Halo 3 in a few good months, and other, more promising games were on the horizon. Halo 3: ODST gives the series new life, letting Bungie show off their talent once again with a brand new design to their campaign, which features a whole lot of stealth gameplay, an open-ended design, and a bit more realism into effect. The end result is something that feels old as well as new. It's Halo with a twist. The story isn't quite up to the standards set by the series, but it's intriguing without a doubt. The new firefight mode has taken up more than a lot of my time, and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.

  Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Playstation 3, Sony, Naughty Dog)

  and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360 & Playstation 3 (I've got both), Activision, Infinity Ward)

  Yeah, they're good. So good, that they're both going to require their own separate blogs later this year.
  

  • Posted Nov 21, 2009 11:26 am PT
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• 14Nov 09

  I stopped being lazy... for now

  I've just buckled down and finally finished a review for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

  Take a peek, won't ya mate?

  • Posted Nov 14, 2009 10:10 pm PT
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