2009 seems like it'll be another big year for video games. Highly anticipated sequels and new franchises are about to make their way onto store shelves everywhere. Every gamer on this planet will be rummaging through their wallets, trying to find some money to pay for all of these goodies.

There are a couple of games I am looking forward to in 2009. I can't possibly overlook Modern Warfare 2, Assassin's Creed 2, Shadow Complex, DJ Hero and NHL 10. However, my most anticipated game of the year has to be, undoubtedly, The Beatles: Rock Band. While some of you out there might find this choice dubious, let me assure you that none of the other titles announced this year, not even NHL 10, have me more excited than the Fab Four's foray into music game territory. So much so that I've already pre-ordered my copy on Amazon, along with the Fender Strattocaster wireless guitar.

Now, while I cannot say that I'm a die-hard Beatlemaniac, I do love The Beatles' music. Even though the band had broken up a year before I was born (in 1970), I still grew up listening to their music. In fact, the very first cassette I ever got was The Beatles: 1962-1966 (the Red Album). I was crushed when the tape got stuck in the tape deck and broke. Thankfully, my parents got me another copy right away, along with The Beatles: 1967-1970 (the Blue Album). Although I stopped listening to those tapes, I still enjoyed hearing their music on the radio once in a while. Recently, after the announcement of the game, I started downloading and listening to them once again and am enjoying it even more now. It is just remarkable to see how they evolve from album to album, from a pop-oriented boy band on Please Please Me, to rock and roll icons on Rubber Soul right on up to psychedelic masterminds on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Although their sound is very distinctive, the evolution the band went through during their very short 8-year career is staggering. On a personal note, Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper are my favorites amongst their albums.

After seeing the set list for the game, I got really excited. It seems Harmonix, along with the help of Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison and Dhani Harrison, made terrific selections for the initial 40-song game. I say "initial" here because, not long after the game ships, Abbey Road will be made available for download through Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network, and will be followed by my two favorite albums, Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper. Aside from the phenomenal set list, the game looks absolutely gorgeous, as you can see for yourself from these videos on the game's official webpage.

Frankly, September 9, 2009 can't come soon enough. Here's a video from my favorite Beatles song, Helter Skelter , which will be in the game.

Hi folks. Got a tiny bit of stuff to share with you all, so I thought I'd write this here blog.

Let's start off with games. I play those. I recently bought Guitar Hero World Tour from a friend for $20. I wouldn't have bought the game otherwise, but for that price, I thought I'd give it a go. The song list is passable, as I do not recognize or even know a good majority of the songs, but there are some really fun ones to sing, such as La Bamba, Beat It, Hot For Teacher, Hotel California, Crazy Train, Freak on a Leash and Band on the Run, amongst others. As for the singing mechanic itself, I find it to be much inferior and somewhat harder than Rock Band's, as I haven't gotten 100% on a song so far (closest was 94%) and I'm playing on medium difficulty. In Rock Band, I can easily get 100% on most songs on the expert difficulty. However, from a graphical and technical standpoint, Guitar Hero takes the cake tenfold. The environments are very well designed, the band members have continuous and fluid animations, instead of jerking out of them, and the overall feel is by far superior to Rock Band. So the question is, do I find Guitar Hero World Tour superior than, let's say, Rock Band 2? Not by a long shot. The song list is what's important in music games, and Guitar Hero's doesn't quite cut it compared to Rock Band's. Add to that some very poor DLC, and that pretty much sums it up.

I also downloaded and finished Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta this week. This new quest looked so promising and could have been so good, but sadly, it fell short of my expectations. Your trek through the mothership is very linear. That wouldn't be so bad if the environments weren't so damn boring and ugly. This expansion also focuses a lot on Fallout 3's combat system. That doesn't bother me that much, since I really like using V.A.T.S. and seeing aliens' heads explode in a million pieces, but when you're doing that every 2 minutes or so, it can get annoying. You'll find yourself pushing buttons a whole lot here which, aside from shooting aliens, is the only excitement you'll be getting. Fun, huh? Also, the story could've been so much better, but ends up being underwhelming at most. However, you do get some awesome weaponry here and, if you're at the very start of the retail game, they can help you you a whole lot. That doesn't help the fact that I'm very disappointed in Mothership Zeta, especially since it's supposedly the final episode in the glorious Fallout 3 adventure. I did net myself 1,100 gamerscore from it though, and that's quite awesome.

Onto movies now. Last night, I saw G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and was thoroughly disappointed. There are so many bad things about this movie, I don't even know where to start. The script is God-awful and, even though Channing Tatum (Duke) and Sienna Miller (Baroness) try their damnedest to pull off a good acting job, they are brought down by the horrible dialogue and other mind-numbing performances by Dennis Quaid (General Hawk), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Heavy Duty) and the always horrible Marlon Wayans (Ripcord). This is a movie where less talk, more action would have been appropriate, but it always seems like some Joe is giving words of advice to another Joe, and it all ends up sounding ridiculous. Speaking of which, isn't G.I. Joe supposed to be "The Real American Hero"? Then, I would like to know why so many people from other countries are a part of the unit. Don't get my wrong, I'm not discriminating anyone here, but it just feels out of place here. All in all, G.I. Joe the movie, with Accelerator Suits and all, is just a big joke and a huge slap in the face to all of the long-time fans of the comics on TV and paper. Thank you Stephen Sommers for pulling a Michael Bay on another one of my favorite series. Good thing I watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when I got home, which was an excellent movie and, in my opinion, the best Potter yet.

Alright, I've bugged you long enough. Stay well and see you soon.

Hey guys.  Long time no speak.  Hope you're all doing well.

I actually don't have a whole lot to say.  I haven't bought a new game, except for Gears of War 2's DLC Road to Ruin, which is alright, but way too pricey at 1,200 MS Points, and Saints Row 2's two DLC packs, which are also alright, but way too hard, even when you play them on casual (like me).  The friggin' helicopter mission, where you need to escort some toxic waste dump trucks and shoot down enemies, is driving me mad.  Way too complicated for nothing.  I'll be getting Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta tomorrow.  Cannot wait for that one, as all of the DLC for that game has been modestly good.

The reason I'm blogging today, however, is because I wanted you guys to read this editorial I wrote on EndSights regarding all of the music video games who have been and are being released.  The title is Digital Rock: An Analysis of the Music Genre.  Took me a while to write it, and I'd appreciate any feedback or comments and, of course, your own personal feelings on the subject.

Don't let the title mislead you.
Just watch the video and you'll understand.

First off, happy 4th of July to all you Americans out there. Hope you're enjoying it.

Next, here's a little video blog for you to watch. As always, comments are welcome.

Hiya party people.  Hope everybody is doing well.  Just a "drive by" blog here, nothing too big.

I've written 2 reviews recently.  Both were posted on EndSights beforehand and are now available for your reading enjoyment right here on this very website.  First one is for The Sims 3, which I found to be a fantastic game (which I should get back into), and the other one is for Ghostbusters: The Video Game, which I found... a little less fantastic.  Actually, I'm rather disappointed in the final product, although the online is quite brilliant in its own way.  Give them a read-over and tell me what you think.

Speaking of EndSights (shameless plug GO!), we have tons of stuff going on at this very moment over there.  Don't forget to check us out and give us your undying support once in a while.  We promise you some pretty cool articles in the next couple of months, so stay tuned.

Other than that, I've been playing a ton of Tiger Woods 10 with my good buddy Mr. Art "Birdy" Green.  The game is very addicting and quite fun to play, especially online.  I've downloaded Point Lookout, Fallout 3's most recent downloadable content expansion, but I haven't gotten around to play it yet.  Blame Tiger for that.

I know there are probably a dozen or more blogs on the subject, and that the internet has exploded in the last couple of hours with this news, but I felt like writing about it.  Michael Jackson was, after Elvis and The Beatles, a tremendous influence in my life, musically speaking.  I am paying my respects to a man who was an icon and a living legend and, if that is so bad that I get moderated or blasted to piece for it, then so be it.

I don't feel like talking about Michael Jackson's problems with the law.  I also do not feel like talking about the ongoing changes in his appearance, or the way he treated his sons and his daughter, or his marital problems.

What I feel like talking about is how this tremendous performer and inspired genius influence music culture.  Back in 1982, when I was just 11 years old, an album called Thriller came out and revolutionized the music industry, while shelling out number one singles at a staggering pace.  Michael Jackson became a household name, as his music was coming out of every radio and stereo for miles around.  I clearly remember watching him perform Billie Jean at the Motown 20 show and going nuts.  The Moonwalk was born.

You know how the story goes, so I won't bore you with the rest.  The King of Pop has left us, and today, the music industry has suffered a tremendous loss.  He had sold out 50 shows in London, which were about to start in July, and was on the "comeback trail".  Sadly, that trail has hit a tragic dead end, no pun intended, obviously.

Yeah, it's been a while, I know.
As always, comment and enjoy.