Hey guys. Long time no blog. Thought I'd let you know what's been happening with yours truly these past couple of weeks.

I've acquired a couple of games this past month. NHL 10 is, without a doubt, my favorite amongst these. Yes, I enjoy it even more than The Beatles: Rock Band. Surprising? Not quite. After I went through the Story mode and played some online with a couple of friends, the game got really old, really fast. I think the very limited track list (only 45 songs, plus All You Need Is Love that I downloaded) is to blame here. Now, I'm not saying the game is horrible, absolutely not. It's just very... limited for now. However, that's soon to change with the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band as DLC in October, Rubber Soul in November, and Abbey Road in December. I guess it's a long-term love affair.

Back to NHL 10. The game is just freaking incredible. The one thing that stands out in this year's edition for me, aside from the subtle gameplay tweeks, board play and GM Mode, is the ambiance. The guys at EA Sports have done an incredible job recreating it. You actually feel like you're taking part in a good ol' hockey game, with fans bouncing out of their seats when the home team scores a goal, people banging on the glass when there's a big hit along the boards, the "oohs" and "aahs" when there's a great save or when a player hits the goal post. That's what makes this game so lifelike and spectacular this year. Once again, kudos to EA for another outstanding job.

I've also played some Halo 3: ODST. I completed the game on normal difficulty, by myself. I have to say that Bungie did a great job with this game. Once again, it's all about atmosphere. I loved the parts when I was playing as The Rookie, wandering alone in the dark streets of New Mombasa, trying to avoid (as much as possible) enemy platoons. The music blew my mind as well, such an immersive and profound score by Martin O'Donnell. As for when you get to play as other ODST, I didn't find those situations to be all that great. Yeah, they're fun to go through, but there's not a whole lot of meat on the bone here. I would have rather played as The Rookie the entire way through. Nonetheless, it's still a pretty good game and I'm always up for some Firefight or going through the campaign in co-op on Legendary.

Other games I've been playing include Lips, which is a surprisingly good game. The track list is quite good, and the fact that you can import songs directly from your PC or portable music device (ie iPod) into the game is very clever. There is a lot of potential behind this game, and I hope it gets pushed farther in future iterations. I've also completed Saints Row 2 for a second time, but this time around, I was playing co-op with Mr. Tony Smith. It was good fun, until the game started glitching out like crazy on us. It wasn't uncommon that my character would get stuck in vehicles or in a surface. That kind of took away from the enjoyment of the game. Mr. Smith and myself have now partaken in another co-op adventure. This time around, we're trying to go through Gears of War 2 on Insane (him) and Hardcore (me). We'll see where that leads us.

In conclusion, it looks like October is going to be another big month for video games. The ones I'm most definitely getting are DJ Hero, Brutal Legend, Borderlands and Forza 3. My poor wallet will hate me. Which games are you guys picking up next month?

Brutal Legend, and Ballad of Gay Tony for me. Though if Borderlands turns out well, I might pick that up too.

The games I'm getting is definitely Borderlands and, hopefully, Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising.

I am so close to picking up Saint's Row 2. It's inexpensive now and fits my budget. I might get it before the year is up for some sandbox fun. Probably no coop, I don't have that many friends, plus I'm a silver guy.

I have to agree with what you said about Beatles: Rock Band.  While a great game, playing the same set of songs gets pretty old and you will get bored eventually.  I will get NHL 10 eventually (was going to get it last week since I thought it was £29.99 but ended up being £44.99 and I just said no).  
 
I have played about 30-45 mins of ODST campaign and about 5-10 mins of Firefight last Tuesday and honestly, I ain't feeling it.  I don't think Halo is all that its cracked up to be anymore or maybe I just need to play some more of it and my mind might change.  I am currently enjoying Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood and honestly, after playing it some I realise there should be more Western shooters or themed games because there is a lack of them and because space has been done to death.
 
I don't think I will get Ballad of Gay Tony until it goes on that deal of the week probably because I didn't finish Lost and Damned due to the fact that I just can't get into anything GTA IV related and you know the reasons why already.  
 
As far as what games I am getting, its going to be a busy month for myself.  Scribblenauts, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (both out here in October FYI), Borderlands, Brutal Legend (really looking forward to this one), WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2010 (the story creator mode concept looks really exciting and hope its executed well unlike 24/7 mode).  Maybe a few other games as well but we'll see.  I know you ain't getting Smackdown, which is a shame since it looks set to be the strongest one in years and the roster looks good.

The music in ODST really stood out to me as well.  I haven't enjoyed a soundtrack so much since FF X.

I'm always so tempted by Hockey games Denis, love hockey.  I guess I just worry that it will be a game that will sit on the shelf rather than in the system...oh well.  Brutal Legend does look amazing and I think I will definitely pick that one up!
 
Take care man, keep em coming!

I really should play NHL 10, but I've been addicted to The Beatles: Rock Band.  I guess I'll just have to gear up for the real NHL and hope my Wings can do it again.  And also enjoy some serious ODST.