So I finally started up Red Dead after finishing Mass Effect 2. 
 
Damn Red Dead is so good, the voice acting is absurdly good for a video game. I still like ME2 more, it made me very sad when I finished that game.

I've been playing Puzzle Quest 2 on the 360 inbetween my Street Fighter matches and man that game is just a ton of fun and absurdly addicting. I like it so much I may try to S-Rank it and even write a review. Probably not though.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how video games have evolved since I started playing back on the Atari 2600. Sure you've got the regular upgrades going on, better graphics, improved sound, etc. But what about the artistc changes, or "presentation" as most would call it. As I get older I find myself much less interested in "playing" a "game" and find myself more interested in experiencing something.

Games have always gotten an emotional response from me, and lets face it back when we were gaming in the 8-bit and 16-bit days that emotion was usually anger, frustration or sometimes a sense of accomplishment. Games were just that back then, games. Now I see them as something completely different, I don't load up my beta of World of Warcraft or the latest Final Fantasy release to play a game. I turn load it up to experience and appreciate the art of said "games". I find myself playing not for fun or a sense of accomplishment, but to simply appreciate and enjoy the wonderful world and storys the developers (artists) are creating. I have begun to equate my nightly gaming sessions with going to the museum and admiring the artwork.

So do I not play games for fun at all anymore? No, but I find myself doing a lot less "playing" and a lot more experiencing. I think we need to move away from calling our favorite pastime "video games" or "gaming" because it makes it sound like an immature thing to do and will never get proper respect unless we the "gamers" start showing respect ourselves.

I've decided to take a break from Final Fantasy 13, I like it, I really do, but it's just way too long. Please give me games that are 12-18 hours at the most. 
 
I then decided to pop Red Dead Redemption in, and it seems cool from the 15 minutes I played it, but once again my overwhelming urge to keep playing Super Street Fighter 4 has taken hold and I just can't bring myself to play anything but that game all the time.

I'm still putting in a little time everyday with Super Street Fighter 4. My crazy schedule has not allowed me to go to any game nights or tournaments lately but I think I'll finally be able to get out to a regular fighting game night tomorrow and see if my practice at home has paid off. 
 
Other than that still very slowly working my way through Final Fantasy XIII. I've been doing about an hour or so a night but that is all I can handle before the very strong urge to play Street Fighter takes over all my rational thought.

I used to use the Gamespot blog thing quite a bit just to write down my current thoughts on the games I am playing so I'll transition over here. 
 
I recently closed up my Gamefly account as I now have Final Fantasy XIII, Mass Effect 2, and Red Dead Redemption sitting around waiting to be finished. With my limited play schedule and unhealthy obsession with Super Street Fighter 4 these games will easily take me until September to get through. 
 
I'm about to hit chapter 8 in Final Fantasy XIII and honestly, I don't understand where the complaints are coming from with this game. It doesn't seem any more or less linear than Final Fantasy X and the combat is so damn weird at first I appreciate the time they give you before stacking new mechanics on you. I'm enjoying this game and it seems very "Final Fantasy" like to me right from the start, as long as you aren't comparing it to pre-1995 games. 
 
I continue to advance in Super Street Fighter 4, I've become frustrated with online play as there just isn't enough good competition out there. I participate in the local play group on Friday nights when my schedule allows and there are some really great players that come out. I thirst for more games like that, as you can never be any better than your current competition. Unfortunately I am usually always very busy with working my regular job, or playing in a band. We tend to play out almost every Friday and Saturday night, thus stopping me from getting out to the local scene for SSF4. 
 
That's all for today I suppose.