Normally I'm not one to re post anything like this, but I think in this case, it's a nice way to get to know the community. That quickly brings me to #5.

5. This is my very first time re-posting anything on the internet, whether it be a list, a chain letter, anything.

4. I am a diehard MMORPG player. Yep, it's true. I've played more EverQuest 2 then I care to mention. Ah, what the heck, I'll mention it. I'll put it in perspective. You know how most lengthy RPGs, or other long console games for that matter, have a playtime of around 40-70 hours? Well, I've played my main Everquest 2 character, Fortai, for 68 days, 16 hours, 13 minutes. And that's only one character, in one game. It probably exceeds 100 days if you add those characters together. I have other MMO characters as well, although Fortai is probably my most played. 68 days, and you wonder why some people say it's addicting. I haven't played in over a month though. I dare anyone to tell me a game that you've logged more than 100 days of play time with. Okay, maybe Woody and Battletoads. Also, I don't play World of Warcraft.

3. I used to volunteer answering phones for Suicide/Crisis prevention. I also used to volunteer for the WWAC, which helps fight AIDS in Africa. 2 very draining jobs, to say the least. I slept well at night, though.

2. I don't like the same things most people like. That is, I don't drink. (I've probably had less than 10 drinks in my life, and I am 28 years old). I also don't like sports very much (this includes real life, and gaming). On major topics, I almost always find myself disagreeing with the majority, and siding with the minority. This has made me an outcast in some ways, but I refuse to change to "fit in."

1. I've never had a cup of coffee, or coffee in any form (except coffee ice cream).

Well there you go, 5 facts about me. Honestly, this blog may not serve a huge purpose, because people who don't know me probably aren't too interested in these facts, and people who do know me more, probably already know these facts. Still, I think GameSpot has some wonderful people on it, people that I'd love to get to know.

Take Care.

Happy 2008 everyone, and thanks for your questions. It was probably not a good idea to post a Q&A blog on Christmas Eve, a time where not many people would see it, but here come the answers as promised.

NeoJedi:
What is your most anticipated game of 2008?

Thorpe89:
What title are you most looking forward to next year?

I honestly can't say what game I'm looking forward to most in 2008. It might be Smash Bros Brawl, it might be GTA IV, or Little Big Planet, or perhaps Fable 2 (please don't disappoint me!), but I'll tell you what I WANT in 2008. I want a game to completely blow me away, that's not an upgraded sequel, that's not a franchise, that has an awesome story, and that's genre defying. Is that too much to ask? Perhaps. But I know that games now, more than ever, have the ability to be art. They have the ability to ascend past the realm of programming, into a world where the sum equals much more than its programed parts. When a game makes it past the hurdles of technology, it can become something great. Portal came close, but Bioshock did this last year, in my opinion, and was one of my two favorite games of 2007. Super Mario Galaxy, was my other favorite for a very different reason: It made me realize the part of me that enjoyed playing games 15-20 years ago, will never leave me. Let's hope 2007 was just a small indication of what the gaming industry is capable of.


Atillite:
what is your view on thermo neuclear energy and the negetive effects it can have on our planet in 3 or less words

"We're all doomed"


SteelAttack
Do you like groins?

No I don't like groins. I love groins. Do you really have to ask?


That's it everyone. Make 2008 a great year. 2010 is just right around the corner. Weren't we supposed to have hover bikes and hyperspeed by now? I feel like we're falling way behind.

A couple quick things:

I wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. No matter what you're doing, I hope it's magical.

I also wanted to create my first Q & A blog. Yes, it's a blatant ripoff of what so many others are doing, but it's an opportunity to get to know someone a little better. So go ahead: Ask me anything! Anything! (well, almost anything). I'll answer it in an upcoming blog in a week or so. It might be a video blog, I haven't decided yet.

Have a safe holiday. Peace.

Hey all.

Today is my birthday. I was in Target, I saw a PS3, I had my credit card, you know what happens next!

My PS3 ID is: liquidsol. Please comment with your PS3 IDs also! It is also located in my profile along with my Wii number and my XBL gamertag.

I mainly bought the system to have a Blu-Ray player, that plays games... not as a video game console, that plays movies. I'm sure I'll be playing more games on it in the future though. I am a home theater guru, and I was sick of seeing all those movies in beautiful HD, that I didn't have access to. Are there any games that anyone recommends that are not available on the 360 or PC? I will be buying "The Darkness," and I am also looking forward to the many good games that the PS3 has in its future. I am looking forward to see what I can download. Anyone recommend anything from that also?

This month I will be first and foremost buying Mario Galaxy and Mass Effect.

Take care, everyone. Peace.

It's been a while since I wrote a blog, so I thought it was about time. Keep in mind these are just my random thoughts, going off into random tangents is to be expected.

My last blog mentioned that I got a new job. I am still at that job. It has been going pretty well. I've since got a raise and a promotion. The bad part is, is that it is still not a move forward in the direction I wish to be going, which is ultimately game design / media. Although it's not in the correct direction, it is still a move forward, and it puts food on the table and pays the rent. Game design has still been my hobby though. I've still working on an RPG tentatively called "Adventure" that I have been working on for the last 2 and a half years. Someday, someday, I will finish it. One major thing has changed since my last blog though, and that is that I moved to an apartment that is much closer to my job. This new feeling of independence is both liberating and overwhelming at the same time. I Love it. I do miss my previous home though. You see, I live in the Bay Area, CA. My previous home was on the peninsula. There, I could just go lay on the beach in the middle of the night, or go on a random walk through the forest covered hills. I never realized how much that kind of thing was needed, until I left it. I can still get back to it, it's only an hour away. It's hard to get away though, when you have to be, all, like, responsible and stuff!

With my job, I've slowly been becoming accustomed to an office environment. The one major thing I've discovered is that High School never ends, it really doesn't. A song from "Bowling for Soup" pretty much sums it up. "The whole damn world is just as obsessed with who's the best dressed and who's having sex. Who's got the money, who gets the honies, who's kind of cute, and who's just a mess." It just hammers into me a sad truth: I don't think I'm compatible with most people. I know I've said this a million times, but I prefer a small group of intimate friends, as opposed to a large group of "acquaintance" type friends. Quality over quantity. Otherwise it's just… noise… and I'll find myself closing my ears, until the right person signals to me that everything is quiet, and it's going to be okay. Having said all that, it still is kinda funny watching the office dynamics unfold into a tragic soap opera.

Oh yeah, this is Gamespot. Like many people, I bought Bioshock, and like many people, I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I've never felt the need to rush through it, and that's a sign of a great game: when you want to explore every area, examine every enemy, hear every sound, and do everything. The game even has some nice, and sometimes controversial, quotes: "I believe in no God, no invisible man in the sky. But there is something more powerful than each of us, a combination of our efforts, a great Chain of industry that unites us. But it is only when we struggle in our own interest that the Chain pulls society in the right direction. To Chain is too powerful and too mysterious for any government to guide. Any man who tells you different either has his hand in his pocket, or a gun to your head."

That's just one of the many quotes in Bioshock that really had me thinking. I even found myself agreeing with many things that were said by the game's main villain, Andrew Ryan. I think villains are the most interesting characters in games and movies, but only if they are multi-dimensional, meaning you can go so far as to sympathize with them, even if it's just a little bit. If you haven't played through Bioshock, I highly recommend you do. Keep your volume up and your eyes open. Don't rush through it. Doing that would be like running through one of the greatest museums after paying 60 bucks to get in.

I also just played through and beat Super Metroid for what seems like the 10th time. This time it was on Virtual Console though. Ever since Actraiser was released on it, I've been awaiting all games for the SNES that carry a Square or Enix tag. Those games are simply the brightest shining games in history.

You may notice that my friends list was cut in half from about 100 to 50. I'll probably cut it in half again. If you're even reading this blog, you're unaffected. I'm just moving people off this list who I've NEVER talked to, and have no idea who they are. It's hard to track blogs and leave comments for gamespot friends, when I am tracking people that I don't talk to.

Peace and take care!

Nick