A STRAIGHT POST FOR A CHANGE: GAMING

I have both next gen consoles, the PS3 and the XBox 360 (I actually have 2 of this one).

Both were purchased on impulse. I bought the XBox because I thought it's such a shame I can't play the titles I've already bought before my first one broke down. And the PS3, well that one was my consolation for backing out from buying a condominium unit.

So anyway, aside from my 'kid', this is the other thing that's keeping me from bloghopping as much as I did before. This is who you should thank, for Engel not being a blog whore anymore.

And here are my favorite games, in no particular order:

RED DEAD REDEMPTION (XBOX 360)
This was the last game I played before writing this post. I love sandbox games and this is one of the best out there. Imagine you're an ex-outlaw during the end or start of the 1900's. You ride horses to get to towns. You hunt for bandits. You kill wolves, cougars, foxes, vultures. You tame wild horses. Oh, and you also take part in a civil war in Mexico and journey a long way to find your ex-partners. I love this game.

GRAND THEFT AUTO IV (XBOX 360 / PS3)
If there's a game I love more than Red Dead Redemption, that would be Grand Theft Auto IV. I started this on my XBox, but unfortunately my first console broke down. Now that I have a PS3, I thought why not continue Niko Bellic's quest for revenge on my new console. Here, you take a tour of virtual New York (called Liberty City). Drive people around for your cousin, and along the way beat up gangsters, fuck women, listen to the radio, watch television, ride helicopters, and even watch stand up comedians in their shows. God, listening to the radio alone is already worth what you paid for in this game.

ELDER SCROLLS IV OBLIVION (XBOX 360 / PS3)
I loved GTA IV, because there are hundreds of things to do in that game. Elder Scrolls on the other hand gives you a thousand of things to occupy your time. My geek out title. This is a massive RPG title that lets you customize your character, clothes, weapons, magic, basically everything. Playing about 50 hours of this game, I've already forgotten about the main story. I'm just in awe with some of the most beautiful and spectacular sceneries in a video game. Ever. This might be boring for some, but these are my kinds of games.

MASS EFFECT SERIES (XBOX 360)
Speaking of beautiful games. This one is just absolutely gorgeous in all aspects. The gameplay is easy. The story, epic. The characters, pretty (you know I'm gay when I'm adding the words pretty in a post about video games). It's just one of the most engaging games I have played in my many years of playing console games. This is an RPG that's set in outer space. It doesn't allow you the freedom of exploring as say, GTA or RDR, but still when you're following the story of Commander Shephard and his crew of awesome space soldiers, you won't be able to do anything else but just play. You'd be surprised you've been playing it for 18 hours already. Jaw dropping, I say.

FINAL FANTASY XIII (PS3)
Just because I've played almost all the titles since Final Fantasy VII came out, I'm adding this. But that doesn't mean it's not a good game, because for awhile, this was the only thing I was playing on my new console. I just got tired a bit of playing only one title. I think I have ADHD. Anyway, this is another beautiful game. The one thing you could say that Squaresoft is great at in any of their video games, it's making one hell of a CGI movie. Everytime I see one, I can't help but just be in awe. Yeah, the lines are cheesy, campy or whatever, but this is why we play Japanese RPG's. This is what they're known for.

UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES (PS3)
I never thought it would be possible to fall in love with a video game character. But when I played this title, damn! Nate Drake is one sexy thief. He's funny. Good looking. Smart. He knows darn difficult acrobatics. Unfortunately, not one second in the ten hour game did he take his clothes off. In fact, as the game gets deeper, he put on more clothes. Damn snow!!! I hate games set in cold places. They suck. This one is an exception though. This was the first (make that only) game I've finished in PS3. Ten hours of great visuals, great acting, awesome gameplay. I don't know, it's just good! No, it's better than good, it's absolutely fantastic!

GEARS OF WAR 2 (XBOX 360)
This is my macho game. Marcus Phoenix, an ex-convict off to war to destroy Locust aliens who've taken over the planet. This is another epic game. The second of a trilogy. Everything about this game is big. From your character, to your weapons, to those fricking huge aliens. Big. The first title was the reason I was almost imprisoned (that's an exagerration). But yeah, I can't help it. The game's so engaging, I didn't find it troubling playing it in the middle of the night, with the speakers almost on full volume. It's a loud game, what with all the shooting and shouting. But damn this one's awesome! One of the best exclusive games for the XBox. This game's worth explaining to barangay officials why I woke up half the neighborhood in the middle of a weeknight.

ASSASSIN'S CREED 2 (XBOX 360)
I like playing assassins. It's awesome being sneaky and stealthy and killing people behind their backs. Maybe I'm a backstabber in the making, I don't know. But there's a certain thrill in plunging a weapon on an unsuspecting victim. But that's not why I love playing AC2. Ezio's story is as engaging as all the other titles on this list, and it's got that sandbox feel again, which I love in my video games. But the one thing this title gives to me that others fail to do, is the feeling of vertigo. I love the feeling when you're perched on top of a tower looking over the grand cities/towns/land below you. And then jumping down to I don't know probably hundreds or thousands of feet. Just writing about it already gives me the jitters.

RESIDENT EVIL V (XBOX 360)
What's a favorite games list without including the original Survivor Horror series. Okay, I must admit this isn't the best title of the Resident Evil games (and I haven't actually finished it yet, shame on me), but still it's a game that makes you scream whenever you see a zombie (or a possessed native African) chasing after you with an ax. It's still scary.

Still have yet to play other games people have been raving about like Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot (I'm scared to start this game), God of War 3, Heavy Rain on the PS3, and Alan Wake, Fallout 3 (can't find a copy for XBox or PS3 on this one) on XBox 360. But once I have the budget, I'll do that.