So now that the dust has settled off of E3( and the Steam Summer Sale) i have been doing a lot of thinking about my next console purchase. First and foremost, I play/buy gaming consoles for GAMES. All other features are simply a Bonus. So with that being said, There are really no game for either the PS4 or the XBone that scream MUST HAVE (to me at least) I've always fancied myself as a 360 user primarily as I buy MOST multiplatform games on the 360. I have always preferred Sony's exclusives over Microsoft. I love everything Naughty Dog does. Gears was a fine franchise, but I really dont care about Halo anymore and I dont do racing games for Forza is out of the picture. There are very few games that have been announced so far that even interest me, Dead Rising 3 and Watch Dogs( which so happens that I can play on current gen) Most "Microsoft exclusives" are also on PC, so that has me thinking that my better investment is probably a PC. I will eventually get one if not both later on down the road but not this year.

I have over 60 games on Steam and 45 or so that I've never even played( some I cant because my laptop can't run them)

So after a long hoopla of an intro, my question is what are some good pre-built PC for a decent price( looking at $500-$600) range.

One of my friend suggested a rig along the lines of this (RIG) but another friend said that specific one needed a better graphics card, but that will run me another $200 roughly

So, people of PC-land, point me in the right direction and educate me

Its funny, I bought a lot of games this year, more so than the average amount I buy( I bought 6 last year) and yet while I was satisfied with all my purchases(I bought 3 Humble Bundles and have only played about half of those games) it was really hard for me to pick out a top 10 because I liked a lot of games, but I didnt LOVE very many of them, well ones that came out in 2012 anyways. The Mass Effect franchise is the one major franchise I always wanted to play,but never got a chance. So during the dry spell of games in the first 3 months, I finally got a chance to experience it. Lets just say between the months of January through March, I played mostly those two titles(ME1-ME2) and their DLC. I had made a little cash gambling in Aruba, so when I got back, I bought Mass Effect 3 and experienced the entire trilogy this year. I would put ME1-ME2 on their but since they didnt come out this year(well, the trilogy re-release doesnt count) I cant. So on to the games that actually came out this year

10. Darksiders II (X360)

I absolutely loved the first Darksiders, so obviously I had high hopes for this one and I wanted to support Thq. Now I really liked the game and really enjoyed the long campaign, but I was surprised at how much different the game was from its previous entry. Now at its core, it still had the same feel, but the more RPG approach threw me off and it had some really monotonous quests.But overall I really liked it and played it through twice. Now if only we could get Darksiders 3 with co-op

9. Assassin's Creed III (PS3)

Having loved Assassin's Creed II and skipping out on the next two 'spin-offs', I had high hopes for the third entry. Regardless of the boring first 4 sequences and the terrible ending, the gameplay was still very good and I really enjoyed my time away from the story, doing side quests and exploring. I also really got into the mulitplayer, which really took me by surprise

8.Uncharted: Golden Abyss (PSVita)

Say what you will about the Vita, but I loved Uncharted: Golden Abyss. I love the Uncharted series and once I got passed all the gimmicky Vita-touch controls, I really got into Golden Abyss. It actually has a much better story than Uncharted 3 did on a whole and while I found Chase kind've annoying, I still liked the story as a whole. I'm in the process of going through it again on Hard and I still really like it.

7.The Darkness II (X360)

I loved The Darkness and I never thought the sequel was actually going to happen. As a reader of the comics, I appreciated the first game so much. Not only that, but it was a blast to play. The sequel got rid of the awful mulitplayer and added a co-op mode with 4 different characters,all with their own unique abilities and a nice story to go along with it.. The story was actually super short and mostly enjoyable, but the gameplay was solid and killing goons with The Darkness is always a blast.

6.XCOM: Enemy Unknown (X360)

In a videogame world dominated by shooters, XCOM is such a great game in such a disappearing genre. XCOM is one of those games that you can just sit down and play for any amount of time and still feel like you accomplished something. There are not enough of these types of games anymore. I was suprised how well the controls were on the 360, it just came naturally for a type of game that is normally foreign to consoles.

5.Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (X360)

The granddaddy of all online FPS's, CS:GO is an updated version of a game I once put an insurmountable amount of time into back in the day. The tried and true formula is still there and shows that its still the best online shooter out there. No perks, no classes, no bullshit, simple. The introduction of perks,unlocks, etc.(unbalanced) ruined the whole of multiplayer shooters for me and it felt nice to put some decent time back into a shooter I had spent much of my teen years playing.

4.Hitman: Absolution (X360)

I really really enjoyed Hitman:Absolution, more than I should have. It was nowhere near the excellence of Hitman: Blood Money and it didn't feel like a 'true' Hitman game to me, but there was just something about it that kept drawing me in. I didnt like the new disguise system, but found ways to work around it. I thoroughly the game for what it was, a great third person action game with stealth elements

3.Far Cry 3 (X360)

Yes, I played this one 360 and it still looks great. I can't afford a graphical powerhouse of a PC nor do I even care. Far Cry 3 is the one game I wanted to be good, because the second installment was so bad. The gunplay is great and multiplayer is decent. But its really pretty and super fun to play, just wish it was drop in/drop out coop.

2.Dishonored (X360)

What a breathe of fresh air. Dishonored was so much fun even with a sub-par story. The gameplay was superb and an absolute blast. Being able to truly tackle a mission guns blazing or stealth both had its benefits and the best part was experimentation within the same levels with different play styles and getting different results

1.The Walking Dead (PS3)

What can I say about The Walking Dead that hasn't already been said? It has its techinical issues, but It is one of the best, if not THE BEST emotional experiences I've ever experienced while playing a videogame. It is absolutely brilliant.Everything from the pacing to the setting to the characters is absolutely brilliant. I have never cared about a fake little girl more in my life than I did about Clementine.

Over the course of the coming months, I am going to work on a blog, A BIG blog, detailing my Top 25 of this generation(X360,PS3,PC,Wii,PSVita,PSP) I say those because I guess technically the WiiU/3DS/Vita will be/are considered 'next' generation, but for arguments sake I'm putting the Vita because I have one and I make the rules to this. (Un)Luckily, None of the Vita games made the Top 25 lists, so you cant argue with me. I didn't put the Nintendo DS or 3DS as I do not own these consoles/systems.

But some facts about what I do/did own and what not.

• I bought my Xbox 360 in June of 2006( for my birthday). The big games at that time were The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. I decided to get GRAW and Hexic instead. Once I beat it and played some multiplayer games over Xbox Live and a few games of Hexic HD, I went back to my original Xbox with Counter-Strike and Halo 2 . It wasn't until August of that year that I really got into my 360. It literally collected dust for a month until Dead Rising was released. It was then that I finally made the full switch over and has since then been my 'primary' console to date. I have had 3 white versions, the red Resident Evil version, and I currently own the black Slim.
• I received a PSP for Christmas of 2006 with one game,Burnout Legends. I played quite a bit of it while making trips to see my mother back home in Washington, D.C. and other such things. The next game that I bought was around February 2007 when I found a really good deal(along with some trade in credit and gift cards) on Killzone: Liberation, NBA Street Showdown, X-Men: Legends II - Rise of Apocalypse, and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. I think I only owned two more games(Monster Hunter Freedom and Exit) after that, as my time with the PSP was VERY short lived.
• As I mentioned above, the PSP was short-lived for me. As I entered college on the Fall of 2007, I was next door neighbors with a fellow individual in my dorm that also fancied 'gaming', however he fancied parties and cars more. It was here that my fellow friend became a good friend. He had went out and bought a PlayStation 3 the summer before college. He was the ONLY person on our floor who didnt have a 360, so he always came over to play Halo 3 over the network with us. He ran into a pickle right after Thanksgiving. He didnt have the money to pay his phone bill. He came to me and asked if I knew anyone that wanted to buy his PS3. I told him I would make him an offer. I offered my PSP with 4 games and $50 cash for his 60 GB PS3. He thought about it and 15 mins later came back and we exchanged. I immediately took the remaining 3 games I had for PSP and went to Gamestop and bought Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and thus fell in love with what is one of my favorite franchise's to date. I will note that he had 4 games for PS3 that I either already owned for 360 or didn't want. About 3 months later that very same PSP ended up back in my dorm room, as my new roommate bought it from him. So I still played from time to time until we parted way for ever in the Summer of 08.
• Ah...the Wii, The precious gaming phenomenon that took the world by storm. I received/bought my Wii on a half-zies deal(I paid half, mother paid the other half) during the Christmas 2007 craze. I'll admit I bought into the gimmick, what a moron I was. It was actually purchased before then as I had walked into a Wal-mart and their were 5 left. I bought two(1 for me, 1 for my mom) I received the 3/4 of the cash for Christmas. It came with Wii Sports and I bought Super Mario Galaxy a few days after Christmas. Then some time in February of 08 I found a really good deal on Resident Evil 4 for $20. That was a steal as I had missed out on that prior. I didnt have a GameCube long enough and had already gotten rid of my PlayStation 2 by the time it was ported. The phase and gimmick wore out fast as I only owned 2 other games (Dead Space Extraction and MadWorld) It soon started collecting dust and I eventually sold it and Wii Sports, my extra controller and nunchuck to a nice young lady for $75 in the Fall of 2009. I traded what games I had left for store credit that went toward my PS3 Slim.
• The final piece of the gaming puzzle, the PlayStation Vita. The only 'current-gen' system I bought on Day 1( thank you US Government for that tax-return) Upon purchase, I bought Uncharted: Golden Abyss(remember I told you it was one of my favorite franchises) along with Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack! . As of September 2012, I also own Unit 13 and Mortal Kombat.
• The PC, the ever-evolving, ever-changing system that merely sets the standard for graphics each generation and home to the MMO's. There have been a plethora of great games for the PC since 2005-present. I am including this system because it is in fact part of it. However, I rarely, if ever play games on the PC. It's only recently that even installed a game on my laptop that I've had for 2 years now(Thanks Humble Bundle 5 and 6).
• Not a single game that made my list came from or was played on the PC or Vita.
• ALSO, yes this generation isn't over. As a matter of fact, I'm sure a few games that come out in the first quarter of next year will probably make it(I'm looking at you BioShock Infinite, The Last of Us, and Tomb Raider ) But we will just have to wait until then to finish it yes?

It has been A LONG While since I sat down and ''blogged' to my hearts content, so I figured, why the hell not on a slightly cold Sunday morning. You ask, "What have you been up to recently?" We'll kids you are in for a treat...

Let's start with January.

The month started off with some tardiness as my girlfriend and I actually missed the ball dropping. Not a big deal then, but now that Dick Clark has died and the Mayans saying the world is going to end and we will all turn into mayonnaise, it seems like we should've watched it. January went by fairly quickly as I bought a new(er) car 2006 Scion xB or as I call it, My Drive-able Xbox...Clever,eh?. The weekend before that, my girlfriend and I went to Knoxville, as part of my Christmas present. We went to the University of Kentucky/University of Tennessee basketball game(It should be noted I'm A HUGE UK fan) UK won in what became a 'too close for comfort' game. We also went to eat after the game at a place right outside of Knoxville called Big Ed's Pizza. It is an extremely old building that looks(from the outside) as if Druids gather there regularly to discuss and perform black magic. It was by far the greatest pizza I've ever eaten. Speaking of eating, I must also admit that we went to Ye Olde Steakhouse the same weekend I bought my car. Regular fans or viewers of Man vs Food, would recognize this place as it was featured on a episode. Its a very nifty,old school restaurant. I had a Filet-mignon and it was the best piece of meat I've ever put in my put in my mouth(no dirty jokes, this is PG-13 people)

On to February

Nothing to see here people, move along.

March

March was a (mostly) great month. It started off with the burial of one of my closest college friends. She was killed in a car accident. RIP Kayla. The day of the funeral started off my two week 'vacation'. I put vacation in apostrophe's because only 7 days were an actually vacation the rest were filled with searches almost religiously for a new job. I still had(have) the same crappy job, it was just time to put my newly acquired college degree to use. Any who, 3 days after the funeral we(as in my girlfriend and her family) went to Aruba for 7 days and 6 nights. Why you ask? just because. We had an absolute amazing time. It should be noted that it was my first time, it was their 10 or 11th, as they own a time share. Once we came back, I looked for a new job and with no success.

April(so far)

I still work at the same place, but as of last Friday, I did start an internship in the IT Dept of the InSite Group.

Now, this is a gaming website, so as you have noticed I didnt mention any games. I was just saving it for last. January was a fairly slow month as far a 'new' games. With the occasional Gamefly game here and there, I mostly spent what free time I had to game playing Gears of War 3 multiplayer. Through this time, after the Shadows of RAAM pack came out and I completed it, along with finally getting a group together to finish all 50 waves of Horde, I was greeted with a gift a lot of people received. All my stuff was reset. Achievement progress, Campaign progress(I was 3/4 through Insane), everything was reset. So I played here and there sparingly, but after the reset, I really had no desire to grind through it ALL again. As far as Gamefly games, I received and sent back Assassins Creed Revelations(360,hated it), Lord of the Rings: War in the North(PS3,didn't play it), Mass Effect(360, loved it,bought it*more later*), The Gunstringer(decent,didnt finish), Lord of the Rings: War in the North(360, played coop, didnt finish) In February, I took the plunge and bought a PSVita along with Uncharted: Golden Abyss(I enjoyed it once I got past all the gimmicky parts). I also bought Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. The Mass Effect franchise is the one major franchise I always wanted to play,but never got a chance. So during this dry spell of games, I finally got a chance to experience it. Lets just say between the months of February and March, I played mostly those two titles and their DLC. I had made a little cash gambling in Aruba, so when I got back, I bought Mass Effect 3. I still have not opened it and Im finishing my playthrough on Mass Effect 2 on Insanity(Im 2 cheevos away from an S rank) I'm really excited to get into 3. I also purchased Unit 13 after returning from Aruba. Its a good pick up and play for 15 mintues then go shooter. I will also add that my Vita came in handy on the flight to and from Aruba.I really want to play The Witcher 2, and I think I'll pick it up during the dead summer months. I recently got into the Ghost Recon Future Soldier beta. It's a beta, so it has its problems, but so far I've enjoyed it.

First off, I must let you know that I missed out on some *'critically acclaimed' games due to uncontrollable circumstances aka time. You see in the year 2011, I have been swamped with work and school and other activities such as traveling, watching movies, going to concerts/sports games etc. Oh yeah and I spent the last 4 1/2 months busting my balls trying to graduate from college, not bad considering I'm only 22 years old. So when I did have time to dedicate to games, this is what I enjoyed

10. Dead Space 2

2011 started off with a scare(and I mean that in a good way), Dead Space 2 was one of my most highly anticipated titles and it fulfilled my expectations for the most part. It was bigger and more 'brutal' than the first one, although not as terrifying as it focused on the cheap predictable scare, rather than the creepy ambiance the first one nailed so well.I thought the addition of multi-player was a complete waste as well.I enjoyed it from start to finish and I'm looking forward to Dead Space 3.

9. Bastion

One of my biggest surprises of 2011, it was a colorful, fun and simple alternative to everything else that was released this year. The art style was superb and the gameplay was great, not to mentioned the narrative was brillant

8. Portal 2

I didnt experience Portal 2 until well into August (thats when Gamefly sent it to me) and I beat it in 2 sessions(3 if you count the multiplayer). I literally couldn't put it down. I was completely shocked at how much improved the game was over the original, but also how well the story was written, not to mention the actors behind it.

7. Shadows of the Damned

Shadows of the Damned was probably the most fun I've had in the last 10 years from beginning to end playing a videogame. Going in literally based on a friend recommendation to try it out, I couldn't have asked for much more. Shadows of the Damned was the absolute funniest game I've ever played, even if it was all dick jokes. Also helped the gameplay was very solid.

6.RAGE

While most people felt RAGE was a bit underwhelming, I was more than satisfied with RAGE. It was graphically the best looking game of 2011 and really liked what id did with their 'post-Apocalypse' wasteland. The unique racing elements also stood out and put a unique spin on an otherwise watered down genre.

5. Gears of War 3

Brothers to the End and the End it was. Marcus Fenix and crew saved the world...again and this time the brought a plethora of modes. I was less-than-thrilled with Gears of War 2's multiplayer and so I was really excited after playing the beta and then the final product.However, the thing that stood out the most, was the revamped Horde mode. Just wish I could put more time into it.

4. Alice: Madness Returns

Alice: Madness Returns was a sequel to a game that probably didn't need one, but im glad EA decided to make one. Alice: Madness Returns is full of elements that brought back of staggering amount of nostalgia on things that grew up on in gaming. Games in the genre are getting few and far between and it was equally refreshing to run through it. Alice: Madness Returns is the only game in 2011 that I immediately started the campaign over after completing it.

3. Uncharted 3

Uncharted 3, while my most disappointing of 2011, I still rank it at number 3. I honestly think my expectations were unreachable. While most people complain about the story( lets not get started) the total package of the full game is exceptional. Naughty Dog improved everything and more that needed to be improved and left most of what made Uncharted 2 so great alone. The addition to a greater focus on mulitplayer paid off as well and even with all the complaints, Naughty Dog actually listens to its community and fixed it.

2. Batman: Arkham City

How could Rocksteady make a better Batman game than Arkham Asylum? By making it bigger and adding more villains of course! Batman Arkham City was one of those games that you literally get sucked into. Although, I felt Asylum was a better game, I was still blown away by how solid and how damn awesome Arkham City was. I just wish the DLC would've been more single player focused with Robin/Nightwing

1. Mortal Kombat

What can I say, anybody that knows me knew that no other game stood a chance once Mortal Kombat came out. Mortal Kombat being my favorite franchise of all time, I am a bit biased, but lets be honest, Mortal Kombat set the standard for fighting game story telling and the amount of content crammed in one disc. Not to mention there DLC was handled well. A reboot of sorts, Netherrealm studios took Mortal Kombat back to its roots and its bloody brillant!

Other games I really enjoyed!

Resistance 3

From Dust

Rayman Origins

LA Noire

NBA 2k12

*Games I didnt play

Skyrim

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

The Witcher 2

So my friends and I were hanging out last night at the bar and one of them made the statement that the reason he sold his 360 and bought a PS3, was because the online was free. This is also the same guy who pays a monthly fee to play WoW and is going to be soon paying a monthly fee to play TOR...hypocritical much? There is no valid arguement as to why paying for an MMO is justified over paying for xbox live. It's the same premise, except you get to play more than one game for less

So I guess my point is, when is it a legit reason to pay a monthly fee? Why should you pay for an MMO? Why should you pay for XBL?

A friend and myself were talking about making a Plasma Cutter replica(since the one in the Collectors Edition was crap). Any ideas on where to start, what we would need,what website I need to go to to get started? And it doesnt even have to be a Plasma Cutter, anything really. Just something creative for us to do outside the norm.  
What have you built?

Around the Christmas season, I decided to purchase a surround system.(LG) and I hooked it up and it sounds great. The 'HUB' is also a blu-ray player and I have my 360 running through the component part(so it works through SS). For me to switch it over and for it to work, my blu-ray player must be on and I have to switch to AUX, etc. naturally. The problem im running into is this. The Blu-ray player is running off HDMI and so is my PS3(I have 2 HDMI ports on my TV). I have been suggested to buy an optical cable and run it from the PS3 to the Blu-ray and switch it that way. Would that conflict with the HDMI?

A special Zombie Halloween podcast with a very special guest Mr.Louie!

Happy Halloween!

Digital Den Podcast 6

I AM SO BUSY, I don't even know what life is aor whats going on anymore....where am I?