Playing Assassin's Creed on the PC is something I've been eagerly waiting to do for a long time. I ignored the DRM, instability, and control issues, and dove right in - purchasing the game through Steam. First impressions were mixed. The graphics and story instantly drew me in while the controls and menu navigation threw me off. But I stuck with it, and in the end Assassin's Creed turned out to be a damn good game.

One of my most anticipated games for the PC was finally released a couple days ago. Assassin's Creed has been a game I've known about since it was first announced to the world. But I was never that interested in the game until about nine months ago when lots of gameplay footage and screen shots were released. The game looked amazing and I couldn't wait to play it.

Crysis was one of my most anticipated games of 2007, but with the holidays I haven't been able to get, or play, or review this game until now.  There were highs, there were lows, but overall I left the game feeling empty. And actually, as I write this review, I'm having trouble remembering any moments in the game that really stood out for me. But I'll try...

Well, here we are already - 2008. I thought 2007 was a pretty good year for gaming, especially PC gaming, with the release of such games as The Orange Box, Call of Duty 4, Crysis, Bioshock, and Supreme Commander to name a few. And now looking forward to 2008, it looks to be another great year of gaming. Here are some of my most anticipated PC games for 2008.

It's been awhile since I've played a Call of Duty (CoD) game, and I was pretty skeptical when I got this game. The first game was great while the next two were pretty crap-tastic, but several good reviews and amazing looking game play videos of CoD 4 tipped the scales, and I broke down and got the game. I haven't beaten the game yet, but through my game experience I can already tell you that CoD is back!

It's been close to three years since I built my last gaming PC, and though that computer still kicks ass at most games, it's starting to show its age with next-gen titles. I first knew it was time to start looking at a new computer when I installed and played Bioshock; a great game that forced me to turn down the graphical setting in order to get a decent frame rate. Next, was the Crysis demo which officially gave my computer a heart attack when I tried to run it at High settings and resolutions.

Figures. The weekend I go out of town, is the same weekend they decide to release a demo of one of my most anticipated games of the year, Crysis. So yesterday morning (Monday) I start to download the demo via BitTorrent. I tried downloading from several other HTTP servers, but their download time was going to take a while longer than BitTorrent. Still, the demo took about 3-4 hours to download.

Here we go. My most anticipated game of this year has finally come, and unfortunately, gone. But that's OK, because I've already played through it twice and I'm now watching Jenny (wife) play through it. The next installment of Gordon Freeman's journey takes him through the outskirts of City 17 and into the wild with big outdoor areas, and new elements like weapons, enemies, and friendly faces.

Valve's Orange Box that is. Which is set to be released in less than two hours. How do I know this? Well, Steam was nice enough to tell me. I opened up Steam, went to my games list, and half-heartedly double clicked on the pre-loaded, yet locked, Portal game. And what did I get? A nice message telling me the game is going to be unlocked in a little over an hour. My pulse increased immediately. I knew the game was supposed to be released tomorrow, but Valve always likes to push things back.

Without having to wade through this entire article looking for my opinion on this game, I'll just say this - Team Fortress 2 is amazing and well worth the wait. So for those just looking for that answer, there you go, but for those who want to read a bit more info on why I love this game so much, then continue reading below.

I open up Steam this evening to play some Bioshock and what do I get? A nice helping of updates and Steam restarts that I distressingly have to comply with. I'm used to it; it's quick and painless (usually). But this update told me because I'm running Vista, that I need to run Steam with admin privileges to install the update. OK, that's new. Once the Steam client update downloaded and installed I was treated with a wonderful new feature. The (all-new) Steam Community.

Well Bioshock has been surprising the shit out of me lately. Awhile ago before the game came out 2k released a demo of the game on the Xbox 360. Due to all the mass hype this game was getting I thought I'd download it and give it a try. Needless to say, the demo did less than impress me. Then a couple weeks later 2k releases the same demo but this time for the PC. So I download and try that version thinking that maybe because it's on a PC, it will be more enjoyable. The end result was still a bland feeling. So when the game finally got released, I didn't get it right away. But peer pressure kicked in and I bought it anyways; slowly playing my way through it. I now love this game!

Crysis is probably one of my most anticipated games of 2007 along with Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Team Fortress 2. Why? Well, for one is it being developed by the same guys who created Far Cry which I thought was a very fun game. Second, it takes you back to those lovely outdoor tropical environments that I missed in other first person shooters like Half-Life 2, Doom 3, and Bioshock. Third, it has amazing graphics. So amazing in fact that I'm worried that my computer will have trouble running it at the settings I want. What kind of settings? Maybe a nice high resolution, some AA, high res textures, and far view distances to name a few. If my current computer can't handle it, I guess I'll just have to build a new one.

For me Team Fortress Classic (or TFC as it's more commonly known) was one of my favorite multiplayer games ever. For it's time it was a damn fun, addicting, and great game. I remember sitting in front of my computer and playing round after round for hours; until my eyes dried out and my contacts were killing me. That was fun. I had a 14.4 baud modem and an itchy trigger finger. I always played as either a Sniper or Soldier. 2fort was of course the best map (for both Snipers and Soldiers), followed by Dustbowl. When ever I think about TFC I want to play it. Unfortunately though, I was usually away from home at that time.

I've always liked the Tomb Raider games. Sure there were a couple that were definitely sub-par, but since the beginning I've played through each one. Just last year I was scrounging through my old PC game discs when I came across the original Tomb Raider. I thought about installing it and reliving some memories, but one quick sight of those wonderful 1996 graphics and I decided against it. Well luckily I can now play through the original game again only this time in our current gen graphics with Tomb Raider's latest game called Tomb Raider: Anniversary.

I believe this is the third or fourth time that I'm playing through this game. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines is its full title and I really enjoy playing this game. Bloodlines is an RPG/FPS game that came out for the PC a few years ago and runs off the Half-Life 2 Source engine. While the game may not be as big or complex as other RPGs, it does have depth. It's also worlds apart from your typical fantasy RPG. Bloodlines, as I'm sure you figured out by now, revolves around the world of vampires and everything they do in our present time to try and hide themselves from the rest of the world.

Valve, it's been awhile now since you guys released Half-Life 2: Episode One, and my patience is starting to wear thin. You can only play through this game so many times before it get repetitive (count 8 times for me). Now I'm waiting for Episode Two, which looks amazing by the way, and will probably blow the previous episode out of the water. We're talking bigger, and more open environments, new enemies, weapons, and vehicles. Updated graphics, AI, and physics. Plus, the answering of more of those famous Half-Life questions. Like WTF is is going on!? FEED ME INFO ON THE DAMN G-MAN!!

...Sucky Terrible Abominal Life Killing Emotional wReck. Before I receive too many fanboy hate mails, let me put in this disclaimer - I M H O. Thank you. Why do I hate this game so much? Answer - because I cannot play it. Why can't I play it? Answer - because it's impossible to play a first person shooter (fps) at 10 frames per second or less. Why is it only running at 10 frames per second? Answer - I don't know. I have a top of the line gaming PC. Then why is the game running like shit on your computer? Answer - - - fuck if I know.

I just recently discovered a new PC game in the February issue of PC Gamer magazine. After playing Gears of War non-stop on the Xbox 360, I've been craving some other great multiplayer co-op games. Well, Turtle Rock's newest game called Left 4 Dead looks to fill that void. That's right, the famed development studio behind the hit Counter-Strike is taking their shot at a new IP. Will it be as popular as Counter-Strike? In my opinion I think so.

I like to get nostalgic sometimes.  What I'll do to bring back memories varies from time to time.  This time though it was my old PC game manuals.  There are some good ones in there.  Some that I spent hours reading and learning from.  A lot of these games were out before the Internet was around, so all you had was their manuals to help you out.

With a new year right around the corner, there are a few upcoming PC games that have really got my attention.  So much so that I dread everyday I have to live without these games in my possession.  Not really, but I know some of you out there know what I'm talking about.  Let's take a look and see what I want need next year for gaming:

Ok, last post about Jack Thompson, I swear!  But I just had to post this little gem.  Where to start, where to start?  As most of my readers know already, Jack Thompson has some type of vendetta against the video game industry.  No one really knows why, but many believe it's for more recognition and votes at the polls.  Either way, the guy is a complete wacko and Rockstar (developers of Jack's favorite game, Grand Theft Auto) was nice enough to show everyone just that.

I recently got a hold of a new PC game called 'Just Cause' last week and have been playing it most of this weekend.  The game is a 3rd person, adventure game (think Grand Theft Auto - GTA).  Actually, that's really good advise, because the game tries to be just like GTA.  Except this new game is worse in some cases but better in others.

Damn! This is one of the coolest flash games/program I've used in a long while. It's called Punk-O-Matic and you can check it out below:

With this flash program you can create your own punk song. I spend over an hour tonight messing with it. It's crazy! I like it mainly because punk rocks. Plus a lot of the guitar riffs and drum lines this programmer used kick ass. Next time I'm in a band I might have to use Punk-O-Matic to help write the song. Heh.

Ah crap.  First the bad news.  Half-Life 2: Episode 2 has been delayed until February 2007.  Episode 2 was originally supposed to be release sometime at the end of the year.  This puts the release of Episode 1 and Episode 2 at eight months apart.  Valve started the episodic (is that a word?) game deployment to avoid long gaps in between sequals.  It kind of makes me wonder if game episodes are going to work or not.  But still, the gap between Half-Life and Half-Life 2 was like five years.  So eight months doesn't sound too bad.

Haha!  This adapter rocks!  I've been playing a lot of GTA on the PC lately.  The game is so much better on the PC than it is on the PS2.  For one the graphics are way better and another the game runs smoother and loads quicker.  But of course playing GTA with a keyboard and mouse can be a pain in the ass.

Did you like Doom 3 or Quake 4?  If you did then get Prey.  Get it now.  Prey is a good mix between Doom 3 and Quake 4.  Of course Prey, as well as Quake 4, uses the Doom 3 engine so similarities are going to be seen.  But what Quake 4 did with the Doom 3 engine and vehicles and outdoor areas, Prey does with gravity and portals.

Valve finally released a trailer for Team Fortress 2.  You remember that game right?  It was supposed to be released sometime last millinium.  Well it's finally coming out and should be released with Half-Life: Episode 2.  Maybe early 2007 I'm thinking.  Anyways click on the link below to check out the new Team Fortress 2 trailer.  It might be different than what you expected:

I just bought a new video game called 'Prey' for my computer.  The game looks pretty cool and the demo was fun, so I figured I'd buy the game.  I'm not the type of gamer that buys Collector Edition games, mainly because I don't care about all the fluff that come with them for an additional cost.  But this time I went for the Collector's Edition just because I wanted the DVD version of the game.  The standard edition of course comes on several CD-ROMs as opposed to the Collector's Edition which comes with one DVD.

I wasn't really going to write about Episode One, but I got nothing else to write about so what the hell.  But a warning, this post will contain spoilers to the game.  You can skip down to the next red section to avoid any big spoilers.  Otherwise read away!

How many of you have played the original SiN? Did any of you even know that there was an older SiN game? Well, most people actually don’t know. The original SiN game came out around the same time that Half-Life did. SiN was a good game but Half-Life was better. Thus, SiN was over-shadowed and never became really popular. I knew of SiN’s existence but only played the demo when it first came out.

Yeah! More anti video game propaganda. I love reading these articles about these horrible video games and their "liberal tyranny". Please read the following article and tell me how errors you see: Video Game: Criminal training for liberal teens.

AH! Why do they keep making new Tomb Raider games? This has to be the sixth or seventh game in the series. Maybe they think if they keep making more, that they will eventually get it right and make a half descent game. Well my friends let me tell you...they finally did.

Who here has heard of the 'Hot Coffee' fiasco that took place?  Anyone not raising their hands needs to get on the Internet or watch TV or do something outside of that cave they've been living in.  Of course I'm talking about the whole incident in which the popular Grand Theft Auto game was modified by a gamer to include a sex mini game.  Once this mod hit the Internet it spread like wild fire and soon everyone had it or at least heard about it.

Hehe, I just found this online and think it's great.  I mean look at it, it's a Headcrab stuffed animal!  Who could live without one of these?  I've already ordered six.

Ok, maybe not but it is kind of cool.  The Headcrab is one of the most popular video game enemies in the Half-Life series of games.  At $25 though it seems kind of steep but I'm sure I'll get one eventually.  It just looks so cuddly doesn't it. :)

Heh, I almost forgot that this weekend is the Guild Wars Factions preview event.  Factions is the next chapter to the game and includes all new areas, professions, skills, enemies, etc, etc.  I planned on playing Oblivion mostly this weekend, but I guess I'll have to put that off until this preview event is over on Sunday.

I got the video game Oblivion for the PC last night.  It's a game that I've been eyeballing for a couple months now.  Oblivion is the fourth installment of The Elder Scrolls series.  I never played any of the other Elder Scrolls games except Morrowind, which I only played for maybe five hours.  It's not that I didn't like Morrowind, it's just that I kind of forgot about it.  I don't know, maybe I was playing another game at the time and forgot about Morrowind.

The creator of one of the most popular games ever (The Sims) has been working on a new video game that aims to break through current video game boundries.  The game is called Spore and the creator is named Will Wright.

It happened last week sometime. I was sitting at home one day, being bored while on the computer. Nothing good on the Internet to look at, tired of listening to all my same music, and burnt out on all my PC games.

Just like with the Halloween update, Guild Wars has now updated again to celebrate Wintersday as they call it. During this time, the major outpost all got transformed to show their holiday spirit.

I'm really starting to worry about the people that help run this country. I mean, I hate to use the term but um, get a clue! For christs sake, do politicians have nothing better to do than waste everyones' time and money (tax payers money) on stupid, redundant crap?