Cool Upcoming Games

After a long punctuated drought, there are some attractive games coming out soon.

1. Half-Life 2 (Nov. 16)

I don't think this needs any comment.



2. GTA: San Andreas (October 26)

I'm not hot on the 'gangsta' thing...it's just not cool to me. But I will definitely play this.



3. Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines (Late November/Early December)

Kind of like if Deus Ex was a vampire game. Built on the Source engine. "Best of E3 2004."



Is that a vampire pimp in the background? Or a vampire Jamiroquai? I hope so, for all our sakes.

4. F.E.A.R. (Early 2005)

Kind of a stupid name, but looks decent. They pulled off a first-person jump kick in the trailer..that can't be easy. Japanese-influenced horror. Nice graphics.



5. Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth

Lovecraftian horror with cool new elements. Insanity effects seem better than Eternal Darkness. For example, when playing in co-op mode you may see the other player as a monster. "Dynamic Sanity system resulting in hallucinations, panic attacks, vertigo, paranoia, and more!"

Shadow Hearts: Covenant

What can I really say about this RPG other than it's simply amazing? It is well scripted and one of the funniest RPGs I've played in a long time. The graphics, while good all around, aren't as spectacular as in, say, Final Fantasy X. The story is of epic proportions and the voice acting is good. The real fun, though, is in battle. The game, like its predecessor, makes use of the Judgement Ring. What is the Judgement Ring? Simply put it determines the success of your attacks and the power of them as well. It's also used for using items and special abilities. Timing is key to using it to its full potential, and it isn't always easy. You can even customize the ring to be able to execute more attacks in one turn and to widen the Hit and Strike areas on it. Status effects can be applied to it as well.

The only thing that really bothered me is that the game starts out deceptively easy and then pours on the difficulty. There isn't any room for mistakes, which can become annoying. Equiping your characters with the best equipment before each area is a must. That's easier said than done as everything is extremely expensive, so just getting money to afford the stuff is a chore. The best thing to do is to go into the new area and wonder around by the entrance fighting monsters until you gain more money.

There is a lot to this game, much more than I feel like writing. All in all Shadow Hearts: Covenant is an RPG well worth your time and money.

'Unofficial' Silent Hill Movie Trailer

Fan-made trailer for a Silent Hill movie. It's completely terrible. I think it gave me cancer, and not the sexy kind.