This blog is an addition to Setho10's recent 4 part series on games that most people didn't play but should have. Alot of the games Seth mentioned are the usual suspects we've been hearing about for years - Oddworld, Ico, Psychonauts and Beyond Good and Evil are games that are continually mentioned as quality games that not many people bought.

I remember well how game writers were screaming at everyone to go out and buy Psychonauts right away otherwise the creative spirit in game development would die and all we would get was rehashed sequels and cookie cutter IPs. So I heeded the call and went out and bought alot of these games so that I could have an experience beyond the norm. More often than not, those writers were spot on and those games were well worth hunting down.

Reading through Seth's list however, I started to think about other games that I really enjoyed that no one bought. Save for one on this list, these games don't get mentioned much anymore and have sort of faded into game history... I'd like to give them some credit.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Don't laugh! I loved this game... the combat was awesome! Kicking vampires in the face, whacking them with shovels and staking them through the heart was alot of fun. This game really was a pleasant surprise. Good story, voice acting by the real cast of the show, and it was long. I'm the only one I know who played this, so speak up and let me know I'm not alone.

Deathrow: What would a futuristic game of violent frisbee/basketball played by a bunch of foul mouthed post-apocalyptic athletes look like? How could you guys miss this one? Opposing team has the disc and you want it? Break his knee, crack his back and then call him a *** ***** *********. Yeah, mom's didn't like this game.

Fatal Frame: Probably the most well known game on the list, still people didn't buy it. If you ever see a list of "Top Scariest Games Ever" and this one isn't number one, then that person doesn't know what they are talking about. Sure I'll get goosebumps from a game every now and again, but this one gave me perpetual goosebumps the whole time. I could only take this game a half hour at a time because I'd overheat from getting flushed. Simply awesome.

Shadow Hearts - From the New World: What a strange game and one that I really enjoyed. If you like turn-based RPGs that try to innovate in their combat schemes, then you may want to try this game's Wheel of Fortune sty1e. Besides, Shania could possibly be one of gaming's hottest characters that no one knows. If you think Bayonetta's shedding her clothing (which is really her hair) while she transforms is, um, interesting, then Shania's transformation into her summons is, uh, just as interesting. And those little indian hot pants... oh lordy...

Gun: I'm playing this other game that no one seems to be playing called Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood that I'm really enjoying (go get it!) and it definitely brings back memories of playing through Gun. It kind of got panned at the time for it's bland graphics, but the gameplay itself was pretty darn good. Maybe gamers just aren't that interested in the Old West.

So there you have it, five gems in the rough. They may not be considered bonafide trend setters, million copy sellers, or 9.0 score achievers, but not every game needs to be in order to have fun with it.

Last week I was watching an episode of This American Life and saw a piece on Mark Hogancamp. Mark was brutally attacked by five men some years ago and suffered brain damage as a result. As a way of working through his trauma and finding a way to express himself he began creating war scenes using action figures and photographing them. These are not your normal backyard "having fun" photos...

Sorry for the small size on these ones, his photos aren't easy to find on the web, it seems only now are people taking notice of him. These two are stills from the show.

Alot of them are pretty violent, these are some of the more tame ones. Keep an eye out for his work in the future, especially in a new documentary that's coming out soon. You can find out info on the documentary here.

Anyways, I thought some of you would find this interesting, I certainly did.

After 3 years I am single again... the breakup has been in the works for awhile now but last night it became official. Even though it was my decision and one that I think was the right one, I'm still sad and it's strange to think of her not being a part of my life anymore. This was the longest relationship I had ever been in and it had been an important part of my life for so long, through so many decisions and so much work at keeping it going.

Bottom line was that we live on different islands and had for the past year. We had been flying back and forth about every 6 weeks to see each other, which gets very expensive. She had talked about moving over here but she never really made an effort, and in the last month or so she made it clear she was going for a promotion at her current job, so I was like WTF? If you're going for a promotion, then that means you have no intention of moving... she wanted to try keeping things as they were.

A year of inter-island dating is fine, but anymore than that and someone has to make a decision to move. I'm about to move into a new position at the school that will likely keep me in Honolulu for the next 20 years, so I know I can't go back to the Big Island. For her, she's really scared to leave her job (this is her main excuse). So basically the breakup came down to this issue, even though there were other things leading me down this road too.

Despite finally make a decision and seeing it through, I'm still sad...