2008 Shopping Guide.

Well as Christmas draws closer, less than 24 hours closer, some of you fellow rich, important, "unaffected by the economy" folk need some quick presents to bear but have no idea where to start. Well here's a little guide I made that to help you if your price range is around $1,000 to $1,000,000. This would have been my wish list if I didn't already go out and buy five of each myself.

The Nikon D90, for the "I May Actually Know What I'm Doing With A Camera" type. This thing does everything that the common D40 can do and then some. The main reason why I wanted this over my already capable D60 is because of a couple things. The autofocus motor. I have an AF 50mm and 10.5mm and the only AF-S is the decent kit 18-55mm. I'm perfectly fine with manually focusing, but when it affects my pictures in low-light areas, that's bad. It's too dim to even see how sharp something is. Help me out robot. With this bad boy, you can walk around campus knowing you have a better camera than all the other noobs with the kit D40. And by not having the D40, you'll probably know how to use it too. Not bashing on the D40 at all, it's probably the only camera you'll ever need. I'm just an elitist when it comes to other photographers. But seriously, stop with the flash photography.

Another thing is the 24 FPS 720p HD Video mode. That's right. You have probably seen me drooling over this in a recent post. This is the first DSLR camera able to record video. So you and your Canon can suck it Bobby. So what I stole this whole layout from you? The least you can do is return my calls dammit! That takes us to our next gift on the list...

You can never have enough glass. This is the best wide-angle zoom of it's kind on the market. It's also the cheapest. For the "I Lurked Flickr To Find Out What Lens People Use -- I Heart Ken Rockwell" type. I bought 5 of these because they're that good and I am that wealthy.

This is a big flash. If you have this flash I will not hate you for using a flash. Just make it bounce. For the "I Don't Want To Look Like The Tool Without A Speed Light While At The Latest Dance Party" type. Add this and a MB-D10, and you'll look like the most pro dude out there. Don't forget your hood lens!

Collectibles! For the "I'm Into Cool Toys From Japan That Sit On My Window Sill And Show What Kind Of Person I Am" type. You can get them the entire Final Fantasy VII x Play Arts collection, the tall standing 19 inch Cloud Strife Masterpiece Arts work of art for only $400. I bought them all but Square Enix will be restocking on May 2nd. Don't forget about Old Snake. And Naked Snake, Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, Solidus Snake, Camo Naked Snake, Boss, Big Boss, Raiden, Grey Fox, Meryl, Naomi, Vamp, Otacon and the whole MGS Crew too.

When I said you can never have enough glass. I meant games. You can never have enough games. For the "I Am Not Really Good At Video Games So I Just Buy Them All To Compensate" type. Just to name a few games that I have yet to receive; Assassin's Creed, Heavenly Sword, Mirrors Edge, Bioshock, Call of Duty 5, and Rock Band World Tour just to name a few.

I know what you're thinking. "Duy, I thought you said you didn't want a bike and would skate everywhere." To be honest, it's hard skating on cobblestone roads and if I plan to get a job anywhere off campus, I'd rather not leave an hour before work and show up panting and smelly. So this present is for the "I Want A Bike To Go To Work And Other Things Like That" type. No this doesn't have to be a fixed gear, I don't like humping my bike to have it brake. But it can be a fixie. A lot of my friends are those "fixie kids". And they're all the rage right? I could say I got the bike from my Dad who used it in Vietnam where it wasn't trendy, it was just cheap. Yeah, thats it!

When I said you can never have enough games, that also goes for Authentics. They'll keep making different colors, and even then your white ones will get dirty so there's really no excuse. And wouldn't they go great with my bike? For the "I Keep It Real By Just Wearing Vans, I Have 50 Pairs..." type. I remember when the slip-ons were all the rage. I thought I was such a trailblazer when I bought the Converse slip-ons. Then little Tim Roskie comes up rockin' a pair of "the Vans with the Laces". 

But seriously, whatever you decide to get your little sister, older brother, significant other, or gay lover, make sure it comes from the heart. And at least costs $100. When you have purchased your gift, make sure you send them to me first so I can sign them.

Best: Video Games of 2008

This has been a pretty big year for video games. Some very anticipated titles and heavy hitters came out in 2008 giving us (nerds) eye strains and our mothers to lose their voices yelling at us to stop playing and reminding us to eat. That was a horrible sentence but here are some of my favorite games of this closing year.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is and probably will always be the only reason why I would want a Wii. A great pick-up game to take a break from the books and start owning your roommate with Lucas. Or you can call over a few people and let the wires tangle as the loser passes the controller. Who plays with the Wii-Motes anyway... It wouldn't surprise me if my friends and I played for six hours straight at a point. That is when I'm not on my G5 flying from meeting to meeting.

Five games for 60 bucks. That is the best deal ever and should give you no reason to own The Orange Box unless you're blind, an amputee or a girl... The Half-Life series is my favorite FPS. It is perfect in every way except for its finite-ness. I could do nothing but sit and play through the whole thing. Can't wait for Episode 3. Then there's Team Fortress 2, which is a decent online multiplayer shooter, but when you have another game soon to be mentioned, I don't think it matches up. And finally Portal. Portal is Portal. If you don't know you better axe somebody, then play the game. Best game of 2008. Hands down.

If not for PSN Network incapability where I used to live, this game would had the potential to cause me to drop out of school. Best online multiplayer I've played. Mainly because of it's ranking system and organization, Call of Duty 4 did an adequate job taking over for Resistance, taking over my life. Though the amount of time I can spend sitting in front of this game isn't as long as others, it sure can have me playing over and over again. As long as there are noobs for me to own. The only reason I stopped was for my loyalty for Resistance 2 which is  eh... The only reason COD5 isn't on here is because I absolutely hate World War II games and plus I haven't played it. BUT I don't want to...

Shocking I know. A 360 game appears on the list. But what can I say, it was pretty fun killing horde after horde of grub after grub, or whatever they're called, for hours upon hours on insane. It wasn't even online and I had a blast with myself and two other players. I still have no idea what the story line is and why that one dude is searching for his wife, but I guess chainsaws on guns can win anyone over. 

I only play this on the 360 but I'm counting this as a PS3 game because I can. I haven't had this much fun in a sports game since Super Baseball Simulator 1000. I can probably play this just as long as any other game as long as I have a partner. Silently killing with the Washington Wizards and pissing off people while doing it is a good feeling. Sorry Bill. Agent Zero > LBJ "The First Black President". I don't see why that nick name doesn't catch on. Does no one else realize those initials?!

I love this game. I would call it my favorite this year but that would be biased. Hell, it's my favorites list so who cares. Sorry Portal, Metal Gear Solid 4 is taking over. It's a nostalgia thing, I'm not even that old but Hideo Kojima can do that to a person. It's all in the details. Everything in this game has been closely inspected to appease to every Metal Gear fan. Flawless. I've loved everything that has come out of the Metal Gear Series, and this is the perfect end to a perfect saga. And also to a perfect favorites list.

But wait! Honorable mentions!

GTA IV was a great game that didn't make it onto my list because I don't think I played it right and I was tired of making those little banner things in Photoshop. I basically went mission to mission, cutting out all the fun in running people over, jumping out of helicopters and survive by falling into a pool, and exploding car pileups with a single nade and walking away with the camera facing me in slow motion.

Rock Band. I can still have fun playing this over and over. I bought a ton of extra songs on a whim and am kicking myself over it a little. It's not on the list mainly because of my downstairs neighbors who will call the cops on us for every hair that floats down and grazes the floor to cause a miniscule vibration on the wood causing the slightest of sound. But there's nothing like playing the drums on expert and checking the peripherals to see jaws drop. "Ain't a thang but a chicken wang".

Also I'm sure there are more games out there that are better, but honestly these games above on the list are the only games I have. Haven't played much of anything really.

"It's Good... Isn't it"

First off I just want to say that I am just writing this because I just want to tell someone about how I feel about this game. Now you probably shouldn't be reading this if you don't want the story to get ruined and you probably also shouldn't be reading this if you don't care for this sort of thing. (This means you Nathan.) That being said, there is not a real audience for this blog but again, this is just a chance for me to express the greatness that is. 

This is my now my new favorite game, for a number of reasons, and will be hard to be surpassed. Mainly because of it's story. I'm a big fan of "political thrillers" and conspiracies and what not, so that naturally drew me to the MGS series. The characters and plot over the 70 years of the series have been apart of my favorite stories. Now not really knowing the background of the MGS series will probably throw you off when you get barraged with all of the information and names in the game, but please take the time to at least read somewhat of the history just to do the plot justice. Some would say the MGS4 is convoluted and it probably is, but for the fans, it serves well answering all the questions. 

Before the game came out, I would question how much I would like the game based on little things I knew about it, i.e. removal of explanation points above heads, having to play as an Old Snake, having a complete 360 control aside from the classic camera modes, and other stupid insignificant things. But once I started playing I immediately forgot about all of that and just kept thinking, "This game is amazing. And I only just entered my name...THRILLHO." I constantly find myself being in awe of how great this game is.

Don't get fooled by all of the trailers. The game is not based only in the Middle East. You also get to experience slightly different types of gameplay in South America, Eastern Europe, and revisit Shadow Moses. You even get Young Snake camo if you're tired as playing as a grey haired man. And even better, play as MGS1 Snake, pixelated and all. Who needs eyes right?

I read that this is Snake's last game as a playable character, but the series will go on. Hopefully with Raiden, who has now been transformed into a character people will actually like. Even though he should have died like 5 times in this game. 

I mentioned earlier that I would compare this to GTA4 and well, it's a lot better in my opinion. Truly a masterpiece. Well, my excitement for writing has run out and this is turning into quite a lengthy and boring read. So...

Acoustics: The Shins - When I Goosestep

Games Games Games.

Awaiting for the release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, I've been replaying the whole Metal Gear collection chronologically starting from; Snake Eater, then MG1, MG2, MGS, and finally Sons of Liberty (Unfortunately I don't own a PSP for Portable Ops). However in the middle of this epic journey through the fellowship of the nerd, I managed to drift away during MG2 and started playing Xenogears, now I could write a whole book on the greatness of that RPG but will condense that in another entry some other day. After a short stint with Xenogears, I decided to prepare myself for the closer coming GTA IV, as to MGS4, and went ahead and bought GTA: San Andreas. Finally being 18, I can buy cigarettes and such. Fortunately I don't smoke and bought an M rated game instead.

Now this is a great game and will soon be followed by an even greater installment. But in the midst killing dope fiends for their "chips" and speeding off of cliffs with an Hispanic fireball girlfriend who is screaming in my ear, I drifted off once again. No this entry is not a review of MGS or GTA, those will come later. This is the review of a far more intense game. The World's Hardest Game entitled, The World's Hardest Game.

This addicting game, brought to you by none other then AddictingGames.com, will get you hooked faster than Peter Pan's nemesis giving away heroin that induces money flying out of beautiful women's bank accounts. The objective of the game is simple. You are a red square and need to get to point A to point B with moving obstacles that will cause an sudden outburst of curse words from your mouth when touched. Prepare to find yourself shouting obscenities during your lecture classes every time you fail. With 30 levels, you could probably defeat the game in a few days if you're determined. But the gameplay isn't the only five star feature. The sound is also grand. With music from some dude named Snayk, the electro, Pnuma Trioish, song will be stuck in your head. The sound effect of a punch when touching an obstacle will also bring back memories of bullies in third grade who picked on you because you knew what the square root of 9 was. Ah, those nostalgic memories of beating up nerds brings me back...

Acoustics: Akala - Eectro Livin'