Halo 3 Multiplayer & More

So to say I arrived at the party a wee bit late would be a gross understatement. Being a very PC centric ugly bag of mostly water (If you are a Trekker you'll get it, if not, what the hell are you doing here?), I had always dismissed Halo 3 multiplayer as a baby game. In some respects when compared to the likes of Counterstrike or the once thriving Quake III community, it easily could be considered such. However Halo 3 seems to have that something special like the aforementioned Counterstrike, a community that just won't die. This is with good reason.

It may not have the slow, tactical nerve-wracking pace of Ghost Recon. Or the wonderful mission set-up like a good old-school Rainbow Six game. But it does deliver an abundance of frenetic fun at a breakneck pace. Not to mention a plethora of game types that keeps it from getting too stale too quick, as so many shooters these days do. The matchmaking in it is probably the trump card though. Within seconds of putting the disc in, I can be in the middle of a hail of gunfire with minimal effort. There are no servers to worry about(none that you can see anyway), and always an abundance of players at all skill levels. At 1am PST, there were nearly 200,000 players online. This is 2 years after release.

That's just one other thing that makes this game so great. The player ranking system does a pretty damn good job of matching you up with players of similar skill. But I could blabber endlessly about this little gem of a game, and that's not really what I wanted to bring to the table this evening... er... morning as it were.

It's that time of year again. Yes that unspeakable retail mess that begins as soon as your done chowing down a dead bird, potentially some dead pig and almost certainly a few dead vegetables. That's right vegan ass clowns, vegetables are alive too so don't give me any of that "you're an animal killer" shit. Fuck you, you're a goddamn vegetable killer. Anyway, enough with that rant or I'll be here all night. Yes kids, the holiday season is upon us. Of course, according to Home Depot, it's been here since August. Seriously, who buys freaking Xmas decorations in August? And with this season comes a glut of titles for gamers to enjoy, or cringe at the thought of. Astro Boy anyone? Didn't think so.

I figured I would lay out a few upcoming (or potentially out already, but destined to be on someone's wish list.) bright spots on each platform, for that ass.

PC

Windows 7
I know it's not technically a game, but if you want to keep gaming in the future, you're going to need it. Also, it comes with Solitaire, and that's a mouse training tool... I mean game. *Cough, DirectX 11, Cough*


Dragon Age: Origins
It's the spiritual successor to the Baldurs Gate franchise. Due to my previous sentence, it shouldn't be allowed on any other platform and I refuse to acknowledge any other release. Bioware. RPG. PC. It's like the good parts of the 90's all over again. Buy it. I don't even have to play it to tell you that in good conscience.

Left 4 Dead 2
Don't ask me why, but I hate Valve games. Nor do I think zombies are 'cool'. But I'm sure this will be on little Timmy's Xmas list, so I suppose it should at least get a mention. Again though, I know it's multi-platform, but really, where else should a Valve game be played?

XBOX 360

Halo 3: ODST
If your a Halo freak, you probably already have this, due to the fact the maps that come with it are now a requirement for competitive multiplayer. Though I'm sure after the holidays, there will be many, many more sqeaky voiced eight year-olds to kill than there already are at this point.

Forza Motorsport 3
Certainly the one game I'm more anxious for than any other. The best physics engine in racing sims just got a whole hell of a lot better. Also, don't let the fact it's a sim scare you off, it is very friendly for newcomers with the robust assist system.

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
Half of this has been available as DLC for the 360 for a good long while. If you dig GTA IV, and who doesn't, than you will want this. It combines The Lost and Damned DLC (think Sons of Anarchy the game) with The Ballad of Gay Tony DLC, all in one shiny *ahem* package. Microsoft didn't give Rockstar $5 million bones for nothing to keep it exclusive.

PS3

God of War PS2 Blu-Ray collection
So I understand this company called Sony has a system also. I have also heard this God of War is a good franchise. I couldn't tell you one way or the other. But they are releasing old games for their newest (not portable) system. Big holiday release huh?

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Again, this is supposedly a big deal. I hear it's like Tomb Raider, but better. Solid poop is better than liquid poop, but it's still poop. Yeah, I don't care for Tomb Raider either.

Wii

Mario, Metroid, Zelda, Punchout.


Multi-platform

Brutal Legend
Tim Schafer's new game. He also brought you the likes of The Seceret of Monkey Island, Full Throttle, Day of the Tentacle and Psychonauts. Oh sure, now I have your attention. It looks like an action game, and really, it starts that way, but it turns into a quasi RTS. Also, quite possibly the best game soundtrack ever.

Assassin's Creed 2
I dug the first one even though it was admittedly repetitive. This one is supposedly not as repetitive. That can only be better. Also, water will no longer be instant death. Thank god for swimming lessons.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Like, it's only like the biggest like game of the year. Yeah, I hate valley girl speak too, but I couldn't help it.

Fallout 3: GOTY
Oblivion meets guns and a color palette consiting of gray, grayer and grayest. One of my all-time favorite RPG's. This one comes with all the DLC that I payed an extra $10 a pop for because I'm impatient. So essentially what I ended up paying $110 for, you can get for $60. Dooo eeeeet!

DJ Hero
Some jackass somewhere will want this. I don't. I already have enough plastic peripheral shit cluttering up my gaming area, I don't need more.


Be forewarned, this is just the tip of the iceberg and only what I consider the highlights. The only gift giving advice I can give to a non-gamer shopping for a gamer is as follows: Don't, under any circumstances, get a gamer something they didn't ask for. You may think that Astro Boy case looks cool now, but when it comes hurling at your head at 98mph, don't say I didn't warn you.

P.S. There is a ton of stuff that got pushed back into early 2010. So don't go wasting all of your money.