Since my 360 came back from repairs, I celebrated by heading to pick up Blazblue. Unfortunately, my store didn't have it, so I settled for renting Call of Juarez: BiB, and my little brother grabbed The Conduit.

Call of Juarez is a massively pleasant surprise. I only played the demo for the first game, and I thought it was awful, but it's sequel is a whole different beast altogether. It looks beautiful, has solid basic mechanics, and while it doesn't do anything really new with the genre, it is very exciting. The campaign is just set-piece after set-piece. I was happy to see the variety-while it's all based around shooting, I found myself fighting in a large-scaled battle, shooting cannons, chasing down bandits and engaging in (amazing) quick-draws. The story is engaging enough, and it's fun to find the small references to famous westerns.


The online isn't as fun as the story mode, but it's entertaining enough. It seems as though the majority play Wild West Legends, which is the only mode I've gotten a game with so far. It's plenty of fun, although the objectives all seem to boil down to the same sort of thing-blow this up, go here, or open this. The main complaint I have with BiB so far is that there's no co-op! Given the near constant presence of the brother in the story mode, you would think that the game would be ripe for two-players at once. It's a strange omission, to be sure.



I also played a fair amount of The Conduit. I've been keeping my eye on this for a while do to IGN's hype/coverage of the game. I always thought that it looked good visually, but was pretty generic in gameplay terms. After seeing all the negative backlash on this site for the game I went in with pretty negative feelings. That being said, I was mildly surprised to find that it wasn't all that bad. I mucked around with the controls for about two minutes and came away satisfied and ready to kill rather standard looking aliens. The main problems I have with the story mode is that the levels are so.....bland. There's very little to see or to do in them. There's also the problem of the brain-dead AI, which are just as apt to stand and stare at you as they are to open fire. I can deal with that, though. The art style of the game is pretty bad, but graphics themselves are quite pleasant. Or maybe I just like staring at the ASE. I haven't played the online yet, so I can't judge that. If I had to score this game just off of what I've played it'd be a 6.5/10, maybe.





One last thing about The Conduit. I can't believe people are razzing on the voice-acting! Sure, the dude playing Ford isn't too good, but damn it, it's got Kevin Sorbo! How the hell he came to be in this game baffles me but it's always fun to hear the dudes voice.

I have been playing FPS's a lot lately.....I started another game in Half-Life 2 (and I'll be playing through both Episodes following that, again), I play Halo 3 online practically everyday with my brothers, and then there's Juarez and Conduit. I really hope to get Blazblue soon. I need something to give me some more variety.

Yes, another blog related to my E74 error problem. I am beginning to wonder, if thousands of others have had this problem, why I am seemingly unable to solve it.

I live in Canada, so I went to the Xbox website and looked up customer support. I phoned the number provided (1-800-4MY-XBOX), and got a automated message telling me to go through the steps online. I registered my 360 and requested a repair. I printed the receipt at the page that told to print my receipt. I then waited for about a day for my shipping label to arrive in my email.

When I received said email, I clicked on the link that said "Retrieve your UPS returns label". The email said I had ten days until the label disappeared, and it had only been five. However, when I click on the damn thing it takes me to a page that says there has been an error and I have no shipping label!

Now, I don't care if this makes me seem stupid, or if there is something obvious I'm missing. I'm becoming increasingly frustrated and only want my 360 back. It's gotten to the point where I'm actually going to go out and get God Of War since I'm bored, which before about two days ago I thought looked awful.

I phoned customer support again and got that automated message. I went around, explored the possible things I could say-it just went around in circles. No help. It says on the webiste "you can easily print your shipping label from the Xbox support website". I'm gone to the website and explored my ass off and I haven't found anything. I've never mailed anything before like this, so I'm sort of in unknown territory.

If anybody could provide some assistance or tell me what the hell I'm supposed to be doing (are they sending me a box? Am I sending them a box? I'm getting conflicting reports all over the place from people I know), I'd really appreciate it.

Yeah, so, after about nine months in fine service, my 360 this morning displayed the E 74 error message. My little brother and I did everything the site said to do (unplug all wires/cords from Xbox, turn on, disconnect hard drive, turn on), and nothing helped. When I get home from school today I'll begin the process of sending it in for repairs and phone customer support.

Anyone have any advice on how to deal with this problem? Just how much bullshit is the repair service, because I hear from some people I know it takes a VERY long time.

I'm sort of passed the point of anger at faulty consoles, although it is sort of sad to see my SNES in the same room as my 360 and the much more advanced console crapped out before the ancient one did. Well, at the very least......there's nothing to distract my from playing ZOE2 now.

Welcome to the last segment of the countdown of my favourite 30 games. Before I get to it, I'm just going to take a second to write about some special games that didn't quite make the cut.

Honorable Mentions

The Guilty Gear series: I love these games-the look, the audio, the hardcore mechanics of it all. It's too bad that I only seem to be able to play with my brother-no one else I know has it and only one person plays GGXX on Xbox Live. Darn.

Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction: The best comic-book based game I've ever played. Tons of fun, but once you beat it there really isn't much left to do. Rampaging through the city/desert is pretty fun, but side missions that weren't random minigames would've helped loads.

James Bond 007: Everything Or Nothing: In my opinion, the best Bond game released so far and the best game EA has ever put out. It capture the Bond feeling so well, has a lengthy campaign (and a co-op campaign!), extra unlockables and just great core mechanics (driving, shooting, fighting). I really do love this game, but it just didn't make the cut.


Alrighty! Give me your comments, disagreements/agreements and other opinions! Now, without further ado.....the final four games in my countdown. Thanks for reading!

4) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

A unbelievably epic game. MGS3: SE takes the best of the James Bond franchise (supervillains, death machines, spies), puts it together with some of the Rambo series (surviving with minimal equipment), and makes a beautiful game out of it. The plot of this game seems simple enough initially, and the first hour or so is pretty slow-but once you get a bit in it kicks into overdrive.

FIghting members of the Cobra squad, traversing harsh forest environments and fending off enemy soldiers at every turn is a intense, fun experience. I love just about everything about this game-even the long discussions about war were okay with me.

I'm having trouble putting into words the quality of this product. I think what really does it for me, is the storyline-how it all weaves together for the crazy climax is truly something that you should experience for yourself. I don't think I'll ever forget the Shagohad chase, the Volgin showdown, or the final Boss herself. The final revelation was a true shocker and a masterstroke in the story.

This is my favourite PS2 game and my favourite game of last gen. It can stand alone on it's own without the aid of it's predecessors or successor, so if you see it, just pick it up.

(I got my version in the Essential Collection, so I played with the kickass camera from Subsistance)

3) Super Metroid

I love the Metroid franchise, and without a doubt in my mind this is the greatest title in the series. Super Metroid has one of the greatest environments in any game I've ever played-Zebes has many haunting areas. Part of this quality is because of the game's soundtrack, which creates a unique mood for each area of the game.

The bosses are truly memorable-Kraid, the massive Godzilla-esque beast made me wonder how I would ever win when I first encountered him (turns out he's a wimp), Ridley is just a beast completely, and who can forget Mother Brain? The climax manages to evoke more emotion than most other games I've played, and without a single word spoken.

The backtracking manages to avoid being irritating somehow, and I believe that the reason is because you really can move around the map quickly. Instead, the backtracking creates a feeling of curiosity of what you'll encounter next.

By the end of the game, you have enough powerups to be a walking death machine, but the planet still managed to make me tread lightly as I went further down into the depths of the planet.

Sometimes, I think that I shouldn't have escaped Zebes-that Super Metroid should've just kept on going. As it is, I'm going to have to settle for one of the best games I've ever played.

2) Super Smash Bros. Brawl

I have always loved the Smash Bros. series. All of the games have entertained me for countless hours over the years, and Brawl is no exception.

To fully understand why I put this game so high, you must know that I have three brothers. When we're bored, there is no game faster to jump into than Smash. We're all Nintendo fans-I was practically raised by Nintendo-so, in my opinion, this is the greatest multiplayer game I've ever played.

I love everything about it. The fighting elements, the party elements, the graphics/animations, the characters and stages, and don't even get me started about the soundtrack (SO GOOD).

There's so much replayability to be had in this game. A variety of modes, a co-op story (yes, I DID enjoy Subspace Emissary), challenges. I don't need a good online mode when I can play local four player games all the time.

Everything that was good in Melee has been improved upon here-the characters have been refined, more cool ones have been added, stages have been put in, and items have been altered. The final smashes are always fun to watch and great to use effectively (though, some are better than others).

For me, there is no better multiplayer game. This is about as good as it gets.


Here it is! Sorry, no tricks here (BoG already did it. Grrr.). My favourite game.....are you ready....?

#1) The World Ends With You

Yeah, some of you are probably shaking your heads.

I LOVE this game.

I bought it on sheer impulse-I had read a preview in Nintendo Power and when it was released, I bought the first copy (not even processed when I got there) from my local Rogers. I don't know why I did it-I'm not a huge fan of RPGS, and I don't like anime AT ALL (okay, not fully true-I'm watching Casshern Sins right now). So why do I enjoy it so much?

The gameplay is truly unique. Battles demand all of your attention, and even if you can't manage to make it work then the game will pick up the slack for you. Collecting different pins is addictive to me, sort of like Pokemon-I want to get them all, even if I don't like them. I love how friendly this game is-it can be so customized to your preferences that it really is your fault if you get frustrated.

The visuals aren't technically well done, but the style fits JUST right with the rest of the package. It's very anime, and I actually don't mind that, cause it works here. As for the rest of the presentation-I don't like pop, or hip-hop, but I like EVERY SONG in this game's awesome soundtrack. It's one of my favourite original videogame SGs, right up there beside Guilty Gear and Shadow Of The Colossus. I've had the tunes stuck in my head for days some times, and they amp up for the battles and are mellow for when you're just walking around.

There's so many little things to this game-the food system, the clothing and pin brands, the absolutely insane battle system (which demands eyes on two screens at once and being able to keep track of several things-the Puck, the cards, your health and when you can do your Fusion), that by all logic the overall package should be a bumbling, destroyed mess. Yet, for some inexplicable reason it's all perfect.


Maybe above all else, I love the story. The characters make horrible first impressions-Neku a pretty dumb jerk and Shiki's way too happy in light of her situation. But, as time passes I became attached to all of them and I began to hate the villains, like you should for any good villain. The animated story cutscenes are done in a great style that works in a sort of animated-comic way. It's very unique and I think it's awesome.

The plot is truly something of it's own-odd and cliched initially but original and emotion-packed by the climax. When the characters were feeling angry, I felt angry, when everything was pretty happy I was feeling good about it too. Something about it all just absorbed me into it.

The World End's With You is a very different beast than the usual gaming. It's a fast paced JRPG, arguably my least favourite genre, and it's still my favourite game. It was the game buy I've ever made and I'll make sure to follow my gut more often on decisions like this. If there's a sequel made, I'll be there, day one.

I give my file to my little brother so that he could experience it (that is my only gripe with the game: there's only one save file per cartridge), and now I'm taking it back for a replay. It's a game that I could play over and over again.

I don't think I'll ever forget TWEWY-and moreoever, I hope I never forget it. It is my favourite game, and the best I've ever played.







END

The fiiiinal countdoooown! Doo doo doo, do do do do.....

Welcome to part 5 of my countdown of my favourite 30 games. I am now in the top 10! Before I get to the main list, I'm just going to take a bit of time to talk about a special side topic.....

My Favourite Videogame Music

In recent years, I've come to appreciate a game's soundtrack than I used to-it can be used to intensify a given mood, and used expertly can change a dull moment into something awesome. Possibly the biggest reliance on a game's soundtrack would be the horror genre as a whole, as with the right mood music a game can be outright terrifying. But I'm not going to get into that, and instead present to you a short list of my favourite game soundtracks.

Shadow Of The Colossus - Perfectly used in every situation, this game's music is some of the most epic audio I've ever listened to.

Guilty Gear (series) - This entire series has the best fighting game music I've ever encountered because it's sheer badass metal through and through. What better thing to listen to while wailing on your opponent?

Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Like a greatest hits album of game music, this installment in the series has the most classic tunes from Nintendo's biggest (and even some obscure) franchises, as well as music from Metal Gear Solid and the Sonic series.

Of course, there are others that I would like to mention, but these are the three greatest.

Now, without further ado......

9) Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

I love the Metroid franchise, and I look at the Prime series with great expectations. This game is a awesome swan song to the trilogy, wrapping up the story while still retaining the feel of the previous two games. It also boasts beautiful graphics and artistic direction, as well as some of the best first person controls I've ever come into contact with. The adventure is a epic one that takes you to several different locations throughout the universe, and the planets themselves all have unique aspects to them.

What I love so much about this game that others might not agree with me about are the high-octane events that occur every once and a while. Metroid games usually are about exploration and isolation. While I love those aspects, I also greatly enjoyed the moments of this game where you are thrust into a action-packed scenario and must duke it out.

A big part of any Metroid game are the bosses, and I feel that this game has some of the best in the series. The first encounter with Ridley is so ridiculously awesome to me that I find the first hour to be one of the best parts of the game. The showdown on the Pirate Homeworld between the GF and the Pirates is a adrenaline packed ride, and the climax to this game is simply awesome in every sense of the word.

Of course, the more quiet moments of exploration on the various worlds are all top knotch as well. There is a great sense of adventure present throughout, and during much of this exploration you are, for the most part, on your own.

I love the Prime series, I love the Metroid franchise, and I love this game.

8) Viewtiful Joe

I love beat em ups, I love side-scrollers, I love movies, and I love superheroes-Viewtiful Joe essentially takes many of my favourite fictional things, smashes them together, and then roundhouse kicks them into "incredibly badass" territory.

The game has a unique, cool style and look to it, complete with cel shading, sweet tunes and pretty funny voice acting. The game has several references and parodies of films and anime.

VJ utilizes a SFX system, which allows you to zoom in (thus allowing you to do different moves), slow (slows down the environment, so you can dodge punches, knock bullets back at their firers, and send guys flying with your superpowered blows), and mach speed (speeds everything up in a fast forward-esque motion).

You use these abilities to manipulate the environment and solve puzzles. Sometimes this doesn't make much sense (slowing down to turbocharge the boosters of a bus), but more often they do (speeding up time to make a room fill with water faster).

The combat is simple, but fun, and the enemies come in many different types that attack in different ways (and thus dodging them is harder). Without being able to figure out these defensive differences, combat can be a very difficult affair. But where your defense-shattering skills truly come into play is against the bosses-formidable foes who often use the environment to their advantages. If you figure out their weakness which makes them vulnerable, then fighting them is a fast job, but if you don't, then they can last quite a while.

There are several difficulty levels that increase replay value, as well as extra characters with their own differences. V-Rated is hard enough, with your lifebar being shorter, VFX (the gauge that allows you to manipulate time) depleting faster, and enemies doing greater damage. Ultra-V is a whole different hell-beast though. In this level of difficulty, everything from V-Rated applies, but now enemies don't drop hints on where they're going to attack. Yeah, I'm not gonna go through that.

To sum up my feelings on the game-Viewtiful Joe is the best beat em up in years.

7) Half-Life 2

I first played Half-Life 2 on the 360, in the Orange Box. I was lucky enough to grab the game for $20, new, at a Futureshop and it was one of the best gaming deals I've ever gotten.

Half-Life 2 is possibly the best FPS game I've ever played, and it only has a single-player compaign. A awesome, intense adventure to liberate a city from it's oppresors, HL2 has a decent length and manages to have a good variety of gameplay for it's genre. Vehicular sections, a few cool defense moments, and a crazy prison break/assault where you have the help of a few.....friends.

The story is fine, but the characters are great. They have awesome motion capture, awesome voice-acting and are all pretty likeable (well, except for the villains, of course).

The weapons are mostly pretty standard except for a few cool exceptions (such as the Pulse Rifle and it's secondary fire). Of course, who can forget the Gravity Gun? The gun that allows you to kill soldiers with a toilet seat is something that belongs in the annals of gaming history.

The episodes add to the greatness, but that's a different story.

In short, Half-Life 2 is a amazing game that every FPS fan should play, regardless of whether or not you played the original.

6) The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Wind Waker is my favourite game in the Zelda series, although I cannot think of any specific reason why. I love the game's graphical style, which is cartoony yet can still manage to be serious when needed. I like how the game's overworld is one massive area that you are free to explore as soon as you get your ship-charting the ocean was a task that could take quite a lot of time. While there aren't as many dungeons as other games in the series, they are still fun (sometimes mindbending) affairs that take up plenty of time.

Maybe my affection of the game stems from it's climax-in my opinion, this game has the greatest final boss battle in all of gaming. The entire duel is epic, with the environment heightening the intensity of the fight simply by it's look alone.

I love this game, a lot-it's got the Zelda gameplay, but with it's own unique style and some extra qualities to it. Not much more that I can say, I had a LOT of fun with Wind Waker.

5) Devil May Cry 3

Much like my Mercenaries situation, when Resident Evil 4 came out I looked for alternatives. Somehow, Devil May Cry 3 was considered good enough and I spent a ridiculously large amount of time playing it, mastering it.....getting beaten down by it. The action is fast and requires quick reflexes. On higher difficulties, it requires smarts to use the right weapon for the right situation and some luck for hoping you aren't killed by some stray strike.

I thought that this game had some of the best in-game cutscenes of last gen. They looked great, and moreover, they were frequently hilarious/badass and are ripe for watching over and over. Despite what many other people say, I think Dante is a badass protagonist-and his antics in game are very entertaining.

The special edition version of this game fixes everything wrong with the original release-it makes the difficulty easier, but still challenging, adds Vergil as a playable character (who plays much differently than Dante), and adds a few extra boss fights (they kinda suck, though).

The standard enemies are the most fun to fight, unlike some of the later enemies-chess pieces and giant spiders are horrible to fight, not because they're actually difficult, but because they hardly react to your attacks at all. That being said, the good outweigh the bad, especially taking the bosses into account-they are a varied and odd bunch, both very threatening and comical (the naked vampire woman who ends up as a electric guitar is a strange, strange highlight).

Devil May Cry is my favourite game in the series and one of my favourite action games period-it is a great evolution to the beat em up gameplay I grew up with when I was younger.






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The second-to-last part of my list is done-next up is the big finale! Again, GB is sort of on the fritz with me, so I'll edit in the images in a moment. Give me your agreements/disagreements/other opinions, I want to hear em.