Happy Turkey Day all. I wanted to share a thought.

I just turned 30 this week and one thing I notice about getting older (aside from the unexplained tweaks and twinges in my body) is that I appreciate smaller things much more. This morning as I watched my mom and siblings preparing dinner with everyone else pitching in to get the house tidied, I felt a sense of contentment with my family heretofore unknown. I've never been big on quality time spent with the fam but today felt different. Add to this the fact that I'm seeing someone who is amazing and all of a sudden life seems to be coming around. Now it could just be that I'm in a good mood because today is one of my favorites days. Or it could just be that I'm learning how to slow down and appreciate these little things. I hope it's the latter.

I want to appreciate the little things more and that includes gaming. That sounds odd because video games by and large have become so complex and detailed. Yet the joy that I get while playing a good game to me is something very basic and close to who I am.

So I hope that in the coming months I find the time to slow down and spent quality time with my family as well as my library of games. I haven't posted much in recent months because I haven't played much in recent months. Here's hoping that streak ends. Enjoy your day and whomever you're with folks.

-A

Boys and girls this has been a very active season for games. While the quantity of games comes as no surprise (developers generally save big releases for the holidays) the apparent quality of the titles certainly does. Just take a look at some of the games already released to strong reviews:

Borderlands

Forza Motorsport 3

GTA: Episodes from Liberty City

Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time

Uncharted 2

DJ Hero

Tekken 6

As a gamer with finite funds how is one to decide. It's a good problem to have. It appears to me that this generation has hit its stride and there's no slowdown in sight. Just around the bend are titles like:

Modern Warfare 2

Assassin's Creed II

Left 4 Dead 2

Splinter Cell: Conviction

God of War III

Mass Effect 2

Bioshock 2

Heavy Rain

Dante's Inferno

Bayonetta

Final Fantasy XIII

The Saboteur

Darksiders

That's a whole lot of goodness and a whole lot of fundage. But what is most notable about the coming months' offerings is the number of intriguing titles on the PS3. Sony's black box has spent the better part of this generation being 3rd banana to the Wii and 360. To see so many note-worthy games on the horizon does my heart good. Consider this library with a more competitive pricing and the PS3 seems destined for the top spot. I love my 360 but it doesn't have the line-up of exclusives boasted by Sony.

Console wars aside the next 6 months will be a period sure to drain bank accounts and birth questionable financial decision making. It also should prove a time of quantity and quality unparalleled at least in my experience. How I will make time for all these games is a mystery to me. Some will undoubtedly fall to the Summer of 2010 a typically slow time for games. So long as I get to play them I hardly care. Til next time

So I picked up Fallout 3 today and though I've only played for about an hour I am impressed. Being from Bethesda I feared it would be a post-apocalyptic Oblivion clone. It is not. Phew!

It feels more action-oriented, the leveling is not as heavy-handed and the combat is actually enjoyable thanks to the V.A.T.S. System. And there's direction that, for me, just was not there in Oblivion. Yes the countryside in that game is beautiful but I hated just running around in it without a sense of purpose. I digress.

The quests are fun and actually meaningful. I can already see myself regretting some of choices I've made. It seems deciding between good and evil actually means a damn in Fallout. The stakes are high and I can foresee that the choices to be made will affect a lot of lives. It's profound in that way.

I am looking forward to spending a great deal of time with this one as well. If anyone has thoughts to share please do so!