...They sucked me back in.

Im talking about Metal Gear Solid. Until yesterday, I had played half of 1 and 4, and about a half hour each of 2 and 3. I honestly could not beleive the hype surrounding this series, and was baffled by the devotion of gamers to Hideo Kojima's masturbatory opus.

Sorry. I was wrong.

Yesterday, I decided to give the game one last try. I figured that with such a convoluted story, Id have to start right at the beginning. Up until yesterday, Id only played MGS1 to the torture scene (a couple of times) and quit. Man, I was missing out. I ripped through the whole game, Im already halfway through 2 now, and I get it. I have a feeling I wont be playing anything else until Ive finished 2,3,4 and portable ops.....This is the epic story Ive been looking for in a game, and it was right under my nose.

I may still think the story gets a little self-serving and heavy-handed, but **** its good.....

After watching my stack of in-progress games grow to a daunting level, Im finally gonna take some time and finish my old games before startying anything new. Its almost embarassing how many games Im "in the middle of".....

Im proud; Ive actually finished up four games in the last few days, and its reminded me how alot of games really reward you for playing them through. First on the list was Heavenly Sword, and Im really glad I gave that game a shot. Its among my favorites now...great action (people who say you can button mash through the game are full of it), varied gameplay, and the most phenominal acting and character rendition Ive seen yet. Bohan alone was worth the price of admission; Andy Serkis did an amazing job with dramatic direction and acting. Bohan might be my favorite villain ever. It jsut goes to show, reviews cant always hit the mark, especially paid professional reviewers.....

I also finished LBP, which was...okay. The MGS add on was really the best part, as well as some awesome player-created levels. The game had such potential, I really hope they make the next one everything this one could have been....

Ghostbusters was a letdown. I kept playing it for the story, and in the end, it just....ends. They hinted at so much more of a story, that what we got just felt tacked together. Dont get me wrong, Im glad the game is as good as it was. It just left me wanting more....

The best game Ive finished, and definitely in my top ten games of all time, is Shadow of the Colossus. I heard the ending was epic, but #$%%!!!! Ive got to go back and replay ICO, and then SotC, just to get ready for the Last Guardian! This could be the best trilogy in gaming history, imo. The amount of back and forth on the ol heartstrings al through this game was incredible for something with such a barebones story and little voice-overs. Ahhh, with these games, and some of the fantastic new games that value good art direction and unique experiences, there is a bright future for gaming, at least as Id like it to be....

So, what now? I guess Ill write myself a list of games to finish, in a somewhat prioritized order, just to keep it straight...

-Modern Warfare (and I need to get my grunt leveled up for multiplayer)

-GTA IV and SA

-FFVII

-Conker's Bad Fur Day

-Quest for Booty

-MGS 1

-Okami

-Uncharted

.....hmm, thats a good start. I really want to finish some before Valkyria Chronicles comes this week; I hear my life will get a lot smaller once it arrives!!

Cheers

-

I realize that with my first two reviews (both of them 10s at that) being for ThatGameComapany games, I may seem like a fanboy, or perhaps an employee. Truth is, that couldnt be further from the truth. What it really is.....I like to rate a game on its own merits; for myself, both flower and flow have executed perfectly exacltly what they set out to do. In my experience, few games can do that (more complicated = more chance to screw up), even if they state clearly their purpose. Both of these games have proven to me that there is hope for the future of gaming, and that future is never going to be the most lauded or advertised.....

Oh, Flow, you remind me of the games I loved as a kid, as well as the drugs I took shortly after; there might not be much point, but the journey is astounding and unparalleled by anything the mainstream has to offer.

I will get around to other reviews, and I do love a good number of games; I just felt so compelled by these games that they had to come first. Add that to the fact that Im in the middle of some amazing new-gen games, and that increases my respect; Ive put down everything else Im playing except for FFVII for these two games..........

What does that say about me as a gamer?