First, I apologize for the WoW emote in the title of this post. It is highly unprofessional, and I will speak to those in charge. It will not happen again.
 
Second, I am going to Pax East 2009!  I recently got paid for a writing gig, which is harder than you might think, so I was able to get everything booked. I will be staying at the Holiday Inn Brookline; the hotel is 2 miles from the Hynes Convention Center. However, the train is right across the street from the hotel and goes to the center, so problem solved. McRibbs will be coming with me as well, so we can cast spells at anyone else coming. In fact, if you read this and you are going to be there, let me know, especially if you are going to be in the same hotel!

The Giant Bomb crew recently posted their gift list, so I figured I would post mine. It is a short one, so I expect it to go fast. Congratulations to the lucky person who buys this for me!
 
HERE IT IS!
 
That's right. The one. The only.  

 
This model is much improved over the JL420 Badonkadonk Land Coaster/Cruiser. Like, Cruiser got promoted and brought it's friend Tank to join the party. That is hot.

I enjoyed playing Assassin's Creed, but I never really enjoyed the game as a whole. The mechanics of it were a lot of fun. I liked the free running and the assassinations. However, when it came down to actually finishing the game, I just couldn't. Like many others, I found the game tedious and the characters did not grab me. With that said, I still looked forward to the release of Assassin's Creed 2, and I am glad I did not give up on the franchise. So far, I have played six hours of the game, and I can't wait to get back to it. Ezio is a great character in my opinion, and his transformation into an assassin is a much more appealing story that the first games. I also like how you are not pulled out into the main world after every assassination. Another small thing, but high on my list, is the information screens you get for major locations and people in the game; I like them because the text  has character because of Shaun's personal touch as he "writes" about them outside the Animus 2.0.  That small touch shows that the creators put a lot of thought into this sequel, and I appreciate that.
 
Like I said, this is just some quick thoughts on AC2. I am going to jump on to spend some more time with it right now. How is everyone else liking it?

Like many other people, I bought Modern Warfare 2, with night-vision goggles no less! However, I have not cracked that baby open to play. Why? WHY? Well, I have a large back log of games that I want to get through. At the top of the list, I want to beat Borderlands and Red Faction: Guerrilla before moving to MW2. There are others, but those are the two I really want to finish. I think I feel this way because I know I may not go back to them for a long while if ever (in Red Faction's case). I also feel that I am just going to have to give up on a lot of the other games on my list because there are far to many games coming out the next few months that I really want to play. Does this happen to many of you? I feel like it has to. Do you just accept that you will not finish a game or do you wait to buy another game before finishing ones your already have?

I honestly do not have anything important to say here, but I did want to share a funny picture. McRibs called me on the phone while I was working (read: procrastinating by watching the Modern Warfare 2 PC Quick Look), and I paused on this screen:
 

[I edited the title to be less broad, even though a lot of my thoughts apply to more than this past weeks QOTW.] 
 
The initial reason I came to Giant Bomb and took part in the beta for the site was because of Jeff. Sense then, the site has become my favorite game related website on the net. The quick looks, reviews, and the podcasts are great. It was not until recently, however, that I really started to take an interest in the Giant Bomb community as a whole. I started doing a few edits in databases and commenting in forums and on posts more. There are a lot of great people on this site. 
 
 With my new interest in the community, I began taking closer looks at the QOTW, which I used to just pass on. While I do not like some of the featured videos in the QOTWs, I have always respected the fact that a person or persons took the time to make the videos. I never planned on doing my own video, but this past weeks QOTW of making a scene inspired by Dragon Age to win a GB hoodie tipped me into the creative arena.  I contacted my friend and community member, McRibs, and-with very little effort-convinced him to make a Dragon Age video with me. 
 
I first watched the I Love Monday video on Tuesday, and that is the same day we decided we would make a video. However, the only free night we had to make it was that very same night. That left us with very little time to plan everything out and for me to get "permission" from my wife. The wife part was no problem; it gave her a night off from me and a chance to wrap up Bioshock without me backseat driving her through it. Then McRibs and I set about writing and planning the video. It all came together pretty well and we worked through until early morning. McRibs then masterfully added all of our special effects and balanced colors and sound. The video took us from Tuesday night to Thursday morning. We put a lot of time and effort into that video, as I am sure the other entrants did. Ultimately, our work paid off because we were featured. Here is our video: