Oh my. It's been over a month hasn't it? I apologize but in all honesty, Azeroth is far more compelling then this site or any other site for that matter. I'm only here typing this up because my playing time is expired and I really don't feel like doing summer work.

World of Warcraft is AMAZING. I don't know where to start. I suppose I can continue to talk in short, general sentences with no meaningful thought or development. Initially, I rolled as a Blood Elf Warlock named "Ginnyweasley" on an Oceanic server. The first thing that struck me was the art in this game. The architecture present in the Blood Elf Starting Zone is so mystifying and unique of any game I've played, and it looks so goregoeous on my Laptop that is in no way conditioned for games. Silvermon City shares the same look on a grander scale. Beyond the graphics though, choosing your class and race is a very intimate experience. I ended up choosing a warlock based on the description provided by the game and the ability to always have a pet summoned to fight for you. I got to LV 36 before I decided to change it up a bit and decided to move on to a PVP server and roll as a Human Paladin. Being able to run into battle with some of the heaviest armor available is a stark contrast to the way you play a Warlock. I managed to get my Paladin up to LV 22 before my free month subscription ended and now I have to wait until I get payed on Thursday to pick up a Player Card from Radioshack or somewhere. But enough MMO talk for you console kiddies, let's move onto E3! Let's go in order of the confrences I was most happy with to the ones I was least happy with. With that said....

I think Microsoft had the strongest E3 by far. Whenever I watch a conference by them, I feel like I made the right coice each and every time. The constant stream of high quality titles coming out on a monthly basis is uttterly insane. Fallout 3? Do want. Resident Evil 5 with online co-op and hot new female lead? DO WANT. BANJO KAZOOIE: NUTS AND BOLTS AND THE ORIGINAL BANJO-KAZOOIE COMING TO XBLA WITH REDONE TEXTURES, STOP N SWAP, LEADERBOARDS, AND ACHIEVEMENTS. DO MOTHER******* WANT. *ahem* Seriously the content is insane and Rare is delivering a new downloadable title, new Banjo, and new Viva Pinata within months of eachother? *explodinghead.gif* The cherry on top was the announcment that Final Fantasy XIII would be multiplatform. While that is certainly exciting, I'm more excited for Versus XIII (which is essentially Kingdom Hearts) but I'm happy more people will get to enjoy the game, and if the combat is horrid, I'll pick it up as well.

I'll abstain from commenting on Sony's conference because I don't own the PS3, however I was mighty impressed by Little Big Planet, Resistance 2, and MAG. If I was a PS3 owner, I'd be content with what was shown.

Ready for some Nintendo hate? I'm feeling the flames itching on my fingertips and when I post this blog over on Giant Bomb, I assure you this will be uncensored and much more rant-filled. I don't go into E3 conferences with big expectations, I want to begin my analysis with this. After Nintendo's E3 2007 love fest of Wii Fit, I figured 2008 was going to be the same. But boy was I wrong. Nintendo was flatout EMBARASSING. Wii Sports Resort: The Tech Demo with a peripheral we are going to force on you for our future games! Animal Crossing: City Folk; the third game in the series that looks EXACTLY THE SAME as the previous two entries and no evolution such as MMO capabilites! And finally, Wii Music! The latest in the Wii Blank series that serves no real satisfying gameplay and can be summed up like this:

Points to "Now Playing List -->

This was my first time actually editing together a video, so don't kill me because it's barbaric transitions. At least I know how to edit audio.

Feedback and opinions of GTA IV yourselves please.

See what I did there? I haven't followed that blog title format in a long time, so you know this is going to be big. I have a lot of thoughts to share and it's two huge topics, so I figured the title should be just as fitting. On with the show....

At this point in time, it's hard for me to dance around the topic of Grand Theft Auto IV, so let's get that out of the way first. It's no real secret that the sandbox genre holds many of my favorite games, and at this point in time, when platformers are so rare, I'm about ready to call it my favorite genre. Grand Theft Auto IV doesn't neccessarily push the envelope forward in this genre, but God damn Rockstar North crafted a fine title. For myself, the defining feature of the game is the cellphone. Much like real life, Niko's life revolves around this single piece of technology, which informs him about missions sure, but most importantly, adds a deep social element to the game. I feel connected to the people in the world, just as I do with my friends in my own life. Little Jacob' nonsensical musings, Brucie's struggle with his sexual orientation, and Carmen's third person talk in the vain of Bob Dole are Rockstar's latest in genuinely funny characters, and interacting with them on a night on the town is a blast. I'm constantly meeting up with Brucie to go power boating, Little Jacob to comedy and cabaret shows, and Carmen to strip clubs. Rockstar has also managed to nail a tight setup on the control front. The light Gears of War cover system and free-aim Resident Evil 4 style are insanely fun and make those gunfights more fun to play then ever, instead of feeling like a chore. The game itself is technically sound (pyhsics actually exist:shock and the game is gorgeous. I only have two knocks against the game, both consisting of the radio stations and exclusion of activities. The talk shows are just...dry compared to Saint's Row which felt genuinely real and the actual music selection doesn't do anything for me. The only songs I like are Kanye West's "Flashing Lights" and the music of Vladiostock which sound very cool. On the front of lack of activities...so much has been dropped. Why can't I buy properties? Where is my parachute? Where are the ambulance missions? If I had to assign a score to GTAIV at this point in time (24 hours of play), I'd probably grant it a 9.5.

Moving along, I talk about the ever rare PC games I play and never mention, with my recent pick up being a heavy hitter: World of Warcraft. I decided to pop in the Trial Version provided in the Diablo Battlechest I bought a long time ago and one thing striked me: patches are a royal pain in the ass. Now I understand I had to download nearly 3 years worth of patches, but 5 hours of updating to the latest version before playing a product? REALLY? Honestly, that is not something anyone should have to endure. But going beyond that setback, it was time to hop into a world inhabitated by seven million other players. I ended up creating two characters, both part of The Alliance and the human race. I created a male warrior that I got bored of quickly, but my female mage grabbed me by the nuts. This game is fun and insanely addicting, just as everyone says. I managed to pick up the basics rather quickly but some of the terminology (what is dps? agro?) flew right over my head. I also found out that WoW players are, for the lack of a more dignified term, horny. While playing as my female character I got tons of offers from other players who asked me if I needed help. I kindly declined their offers (they were being nice) but I received no pity when I was playing as a male character. The main town of The Alliance (Stormwind right?) had these two female avatars going at it in bra and panties, talking about which one was hotter with a circle of male characters surrounding the two. At this point in time, I pulled off a massive facepalm in front of my laptop. Really guys? REALLY? But beyond the weird sexual pressures, the game is a blast and fresh to someone like me who has never played an MMO before. I reached the trial level limit of LV. 10 in one night! I started at 8P.M. and when I finally pulled my face away from the monitor, I discovered it was 5 A.M. and the sun was starting to come up. I was like "Oh God no...." I see myself getting sucked into this game so easily (as proven) and have decided to hold off the purchase of the Battlechest until the end of school, which is June 17. But on that day I swear to God Almighty I will be picking up this game and likely having Michelle dump my ass in the process.

Next blog: Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts musings, and I think it's fitting to make that topic my first video blog. Until then, enjoy my new profile banner.

Famed game developer Rare Ltd. is reviving one of its most beloved and successful franchises exclusively on Xbox 360 with the third installment of the "Banjo-Kazooie" series. "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" embraces new and old fans alike, as the famous bear and bird duo return in stunning high definition for a unique adventure of epic proportions. The Lord of the Games (aka LOG) is tired of the petty squabbling between Banjo and the evil witch Gruntilda (aka Grunty) over the years, and has arranged a showdown to decide the rightful owner of Spiral Mountain. Claiming to have created every video game ever made, LOG has built the game worlds in which the contest's challenges take place. Banjo must complete LOG's challenges to win, while Grunty tries to stop him using every method her devious mind can muster.

Throughout their adventure, players create their own abilities by building vehicles for Banjo to pilot over land, water and air. Vehicle parts, which range from simple devices such as engines and wheels to more unusual equipment such as springs and egg guns, are earned and collected throughout the game. Players use their imagination to combine parts in any order to create whatever vehicle they choose. LOG's challenges have one goal, but players' choice of vehicle and tactics will determine how they get there. By exploring worlds and solving puzzles, players both young and old will be rewarded with more advanced and diverse vehicle parts in their quest to defeat Grunty once and for all.

With the power of Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE, "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" brings an entirely new experience to the console and takes the franchise to a whole new level of enjoyment. High-definition graphics, user-created content and online gameplay are just three of the many advances people of all ages and skill levels will discover as they embark on their adventure.

Features: Top features include the following:
An adventure that starts with your imagination. If you can imagine it, you can build it in the Mumbo's Motors easy-to-use workshop. Then put your creation to the test as you take on Grunty in your quest for Spiral Mountain. Unlike other games, where the player progressively picks up new skills or abilities at points pre-determined by the game's creator, "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" puts the power of improving Banjo's abilities into the hands of the players as they build vehicles that allow Banjo to progress through the game. Vehicle parts include a wide variety of body panels, engines, wheels, wings, propellers, fuel and weapons, plus many more weird and wonderful gadgets such as floaters, Mumbo Bombos and the versatile sticky ball, from which players can design and create anything from a simple object-carrying truck to a space-age flying saucer. Once you've designed your creation, give it the finishing touch by painting it and choosing a suitable name before Banjo jumps in and pilots it into action.
Customizable experience. With more than 100 contraption parts and unlimited combinations possible, no two players will have the same experience in "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts." By exploring the vast game worlds, discovering hidden secrets and solving puzzles to win rewards, players continually find more and more ways to customize and improve their contraptions, creating an unprecedented level of user-generated content for a 3-D platform adventure game.
Fun right out of the box. Don't worry if you aren't the world's greatest inventor or want to skip the workshop and get straight to the action, because "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts" comes with a fully loaded experience right out of the box. Pre-built vehicles are included so players can jump right in and get started, with many more contraptions available for purchase throughout the adventure using the in-game currency system of musical notes.
Engaging storyline and entertaining characters. Two of Rare's most beloved characters have returned from retirement, making their debut on Xbox 360. To win the deed to their homeland and prevent the evil witch Gruntilda from developing it into tower blocks and malls, Banjo and his best friend Kazooie battle over land, sea and air against their longtime rival. Familiar faces such as Mumbo Jumbo, Bottles, Captain Blubber and the Jinjos are also back to lend a hand, along with an equally colorful cast of new friends and foes. Look out for Trophy Thomas, Piddles, Lord of the Games and Grunty's mechanically menacing army of Gruntbots.
Enjoy alone or with friends. "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts" offers complete single-player and multiplayer experiences. You can play through the adventure alone in the single-player campaign, or play with friends in competitive or cooperative challenges on your own or in teams.
Fun for everyone. Xbox 360 is the home to the best entertainment experiences for everyone. With "Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts," Xbox 360 continues to build its impressive lineup of content that appeals to people of all ages and types.

I have offically creamed myself. I have waited eight years for this day...and it was totally worth it.