Sometimes there are things that are very important to me in my life and yet it seems I avoid them. Is it the fear of failure? If I keep up this pace the only outcome will be failure because I have yet to try to succeed. It's much easier to tell myself that then to actually take the steps to do it. I'm working on making myself promise to work on the one thing that is most important. I wonder if I can keep that promise? So here I go into the unknown, Day One, a fresh start. Wish me luck!
 

Right now I'm mentally preparing for the biggest launch to hit video games in it's history...Halo 3. Now I am not personally a huge Halo fan but I will be giving it a go when it comes out. I'm not the greatest at FPS (first person shooters) especially when they are multiplayer. The night the game launches I will be working the trenches..the midnight launch. I have to go in and set everything up and prepare for the hordes of fans that will be tearing down the store in eager anticipation. I don't expect to leave work before 1:00 am and I have to be in bright and early the next morning to do it all over again. Those of you who are familiar with the Harry Potter Book launches have a minor idea of what I'm expecting. Well I can only hope I make it out with everything in tact and no loss of life or limb to report. If you are among those who are going out that night to pick up your copy I suggest you get there early and be kind to the workers who are only trying to make things go smooth.
 

I just returned back from my work conference two days ago and of course I'm now sick. Every year when I leave town I come home and end up sick for several days. I need time to recoup but my job insists that I get back to the grind.

Highlights of my trip:

I got to meet Todd Mcfarland the creator of Spawn and my favorite the creator of Castlevania, Koji Igarashi.

Well here in the next day or so I will return to reviewing, there are alot of people here that I owe a review to.
 

I will be really busy all this coming week. I am leaving for my conference for the company I work for. It will be tiring but also educational and I get to see some new games that are coming out. Hopefully by next Sunday I will be back to my normal routine around here. If you drop by and I don't reply right away I will as soon as I am able.
 

If you own a XB360 or PC and you love creative first person shooters, this is the game to play right now. What makes Bioshock different from the normal garbage that floods the shelves every week? This game takes you on a under sea adventure that is not only scary but also full of twists and turns. When you start out you have crashed under the ocean and are now inside a city, your first mission is to save a man's family. The excitement starts from there, crazy people, ghosts and the main attraction "big daddy".

"Big Daddy" is a big metal looking guy who protects little girls called "little sisters". The little sisters follow the Big Daddy around but they are possesed. Your job is to either harvest the little sisters for Adam (a source needed to gain more powers) or you can choose to save them (you will earn less Adam but the little sisters will reward you later). No matter what you decide you will still need to contend with Big Daddy and he is not going down without a fight.

Also worth a mention is the fantastic soundtrack. The sounds are both scary and peaceful. It is fully orchestrated and can be downloaded off of Bioshocks website for free.

The most spectacular part of this game is the graphics. Looking out into the ocean from the glass you can see debris falling into the water and see fish floating by. The light coming off of objects and bouncing off the walls adds a beautiful realism to the environment. Fog, rain and many different weather elements, play with your vision at different times. Your plasmids give you an array of special powers from electric bolts, to fire that can melt ice and many others are waiting to be discovered.

If you pick up one game this summer, Bioshock is highly recommended.
 

One of the things I find the most difficult in my profession is actually trying not to spend all of my money. Come Friday I have the paycheck freshly in my pocket and yet another four game up for purchase. I wish my paycheck could meet the demands of my hobby but I just don't see it happening. One of the big reasons I left my job the first time is because I was never saving anything. I plan to own a house some day and have my bills paid off. You see it's not a choice. People say well just quit buying games for a while or limit your spending. I can't..I've tried. This for me is an addiction and as hard as I try to say it is not, I'm only lying to myself.
 

I admit it..I'm a slacker. My at work life in the retail world has taken up all of my free time just about. Currently I'm begining work again on the project I'm holding near and dear to my heart. I have been trying to scriptwrite this videogame idea I've had for some time. Also I'm trying to do some illustrations. It is seriously a labor of love and yet I don't have enough manpower to get it all done. Maybe I should start taking applications. Anyhow if you check my portfolio I've added a survey. I'm trying to get peoples opinions on games so I don't make the same mistakes in the one I'm writing. As always your input on these matters mean a great deal to me. Maybe just maybe I'll post some of my script, who knows.
 

Gamertag: Calistarwind

Occupation: Game Store Manager

Favorite Game: Earthbound (Super Nintendo)

Reason: First game I played that you could go back after the game was completed and see how you effected the outcome of things. Great soundtrack, funky.

Favorite Game Series: Suikoden (Playstation, Playstation 2)

Reason: Suikoden II was the first game I played that had such a great storyline I could not stop playing and it was purely an emotional journey.

Favorite Anime: Outlaw Star, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Lain, Ghost in the Shell

Hobbies: I collect video games and systems. Mainly I collect RPG games. Writing my novel and also scriptwriting a video game I would like to see created. Photoshop.

First System: Atari 2600