The Office: On it's last leg?

So I just saw an add for this weeks episode of The Office. It's scheduled at a different time, after the Super Bowl, and features special guests and a wild plot. If this is any hint it seems like all the rumors I've been hearing about The Office having "jumped the shark" were true. I hate to imagine it but all shows have to end eventually. I just wish The Office would go out on a high note and not die a slow painful death like so many previous shows have.

Hunter: The Reckoning

Here's a game that is simply a classic in my opinion. There were three made; the original and two more, one for Xbox and one for PlayStation 2. Hunter: the Reckoning Wayward was made for PlaySation 2 and Hunter: the Reckoning Redeemer for Xbox. All three of them were great and worthy of the title of "classic". I've played all of them but if I remember correctly it was Hunter: the Reckoning Wayward that turned me on to the series.


It's not the story or the originality, the latter of which it has none, that make these games great, but the gameplay. Pure co-op bliss. It plays similarly to an old style hack n' slash game but with the addition of guns. It pits you and a friend, or up to 3 friends in Redeemer, against waves of undead. Each character has they're own primary weapons, some kind of gun or guns and a melee weapon. There's nothing like tearing through hordes of undead with a friend or three.


These games are worthy of a sequel and I would love to see a next-gen version come out in the next couple of
years.

All pictures from www.ign.com

Armed and Dangerous

Publisher: LucasArts
Developer: Planet Moon Studios

Here is a game I think deserves mentioning. It's over 5 years old now but I think it was very underrated when it came out and has been ever since. Although it seems to have been lost over the years I thought, when it was new, that it had great potential for a sequel or spin off or something. It plays like an ordinary third person shooter, most of the time, but it is also very funny and interesting. HERE is a link to the IGN page that tells all about it. Anyone who has an Xbox or Xbox 360 should pick this one up if the chance ever arises. It's backwards compatible so there shouldn't be any problems for 360 owners, unless you don't have an internet connection. It is definitely if not one of my favorite games, at least one of the most memorable games I have ever played. I highly recommend it.

Picture from www.ign.com

Oh my ___ *insert preferred god, deity, higher power, or object of worship here*!

I just heard on the news that Michael Newdow, the same man who tried to get the word "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance is at it again. He is now trying to have the words "so help me God" removed from the inaugural address. OK... you've made your point. You don't believe in a god and you don't want any reference to God, or god, or gods, or whatever, in anything that represents the whole of the U.S.A. It makes sense, sort of, if you think of it that way. But really, is it necessary? And isn't there anything else more important and worth your time and effort? Of all the problems in the world (even though I don't consider this a problem) this is really what you want to focus on? It seems like it would be beneficial to everyone if we focus on the less controversial, more important problems first before worrying and bickering about lesser issues.

Happy New Year!!!

Yay... a new year. And a promising year for video games. With the recent slew of great games (Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, Rock Band 2, etc...) I can't wait to see what this next year brings. Unless the economy completely craps the bed, which I'm not ruling out, 2009 should be a glorious year for all gamers.

A word to wise shoppers

Just a couple months back I decided to buy a new Xbox 360 because mine was starting to show symptoms of the dreaded RRoD (Red Rings of Death). I bought a new 60GB Xbox 360 Pro and decided to give my old 20GB version to my nephew. When I gave it to him I told him it had slowed down a bit and was sometimes stalling and the disk drive didn't open properly. He decided to take it and keep it for as long as it would last. Well, it didn't last very long. Just recently he told me it had died. He decided to buy a new system but keep the hard drive, which was working fine. Gamestop sells refurbished Xbox 360 core systems with a wireless controller for $170 so he chose to go there to get it, since they have a good return policy and are usually very friendly and helpful. The refurbished core system costs $170, but if you want a brand new Xbox 360 Arcade, which comes with 5 Xbox live arcade games, a free game, a 256MB memory card, and a wireless controller, you need only cough up an extra $30 for a total of $200. It is ridiculous to buy a used system when you can buy a brand new one for just $30 more, and even more so when it includes extra games and accessories. Even if you are buying an Xbox 360 for the first time it is smart to buy the Arcade version. You can buy used 20GB hard drive for $60 at gamestop and that's plenty for the average gamer. There is no reason to buy the refurbished Xbox 360. Chances are, if you can afford $170 you can afford $200. Don't be stupid! Research a product before you buy it.

PS: They have a deal I saw on Xbox.com for anyone who has an arcade console. If you give them the serial number from your Xbox 360 you can get a 20GB hard drive and 3 months of Gold Membership to Xbox Live for $30. That is one of the better deals I have seen in a while.