I'm going to continue my rant about Gamestop, purely because they're the most annoying games retailer I've ever dealt with. My friend and I wandered into a newly opened store yesterday, just to have a peek at their wares. We decided to avail of an offer they have on their second-hand titles: buy two, get one free. I'm not one for buying second-hand. Perhaps it's a little OCD, but I like to keep my games in perfect condition, and buying pre-owned just feels wrong to me. After some convincing by my friend, I agreed. So we scoured the vast selection and decided on Condemned, Stranglehold, and Crackdown. Not exactly new titles, but for 9.99 each, you can't go wrong. When we went to the counter, I whipped out the old student ID for the student discount. As soon as I did, the clerk, who happened to be the manager, informed me in the most obnoxious manner, 'you can't use your discount, you're getting a free game.' Technically it's not free, I felt like shouting in his face. My friend felt the same sentiments, and when the guy went to give him back his change, my friend replied, 'it's ok, you keep the 10c. Sure, we got a free game.' Their lousy discount is only 5pc, so it's hardly anything to make a big deal about. But, I want it. It was my 50c! And what makes it even funnier is the fact that if you try to trade in a game, they only offer you like 5c. So I don't understand where the guy gets off saying ‘you’re getting a free game.' The point of this rant? I officially hate Gamestop, and I'm never shopping there again.

Don't you just hate when you go into a game shop, all excited about a game, only to find that it isn't actually released until the day after you thought? How annoying is it when that happens? What’s even worse is when the shop has the game on display, with the price, and you take it to the counter, only to be met by a smug clerk declaring that it isn’t actually available for sale until tomorrow. Now, the clerk mightn’t actually be smug but, naturally, you perceive him that way. He’s denying you what you want, granted he’s doing his job, but at the time, you neither care nor acknowledge this. The irrational man would begin screaming, loudly, until escorted off the premises, or until he tires himself out - after all, screaming is a tiring affair. But the sane man (I like to think of myself as being quite sane), well, he contemplates, or rather daydreams about walking into the store, loaded shotgun in hand. Imagine with me for a second:  It’s a nice day. Henry Street, much the same as any busy shopping street in the world, is, well, busy as usual. You stroll into the shop with a long overcoat on, clearly out of place for the season. You proceed to the counter, remove a long-barrelled shotgun from this dark-brown overcoat, and then calmly place it so the pump-action is resting at the edge of the counter, and pointed directly at the clerk’s chest. Now, in a calm, but stern tone, you politely ask for a copy of the game (in this case ArmA 2). The clerk informs you that it can’t be sold. You know they have it out the back, and there really is no reason for them not to sell it (ok, maybe a few dozen legal reasons).  But, with a quick flip of the wrist, you load a shell effortlessly into the muzzle of the gun. As one would expect, the clerk immediately hurries himself out to the back and returns moments later with a copy of this prized game. Obviously this is just a dream, and one should never attempt anything that resembles this whatsoever. But wouldn’t the world be such a better place if gamers were in charge? I’d have ArmA 2, not that this little story is about me, the shop would have my money, and we’d all be happy (apart from the scared clerk, although if he had just given it in the first place...). One really can only dream, though.  

So, it seems everyone is introducing themselves and giving a bit of their background and gaming history. Seeing as I'm based in the Faceoffgames' offices, I figure I should probably tell you a little about myself too. Well, I'm Irish for one thing. I started an internship here back in February, or January, not exactly sure. I'm just finishing up a degree in Journalism, and needed to get some work experience. Considering I love video games, where better to work than a games' website? I'm 20, and my gaming history has been varied, to say the least. I had a Sega Master System when I was about six, a Mega Drive when I was about eight, a handheld Game Gear sometime in between, a Sony Playstation at 10, a PS2 at 14, then a 360 at 18, not to mention a DS to boot and a Dreamcast thrown in for good measure. Sadly though, I find myself drifting further and further away from consoles, in favour of PC gaming. I'm quite surprised that it has taken this long, being honest. Perhaps it's because I could never afford a decent computer or, more than likely, it's because I never realised the relative ease of PC gaming. My system is brilliant, excuse my cockiness, but I did spend a huge chunk of money on it. It's only of late that I realise the true power of PC gaming. I bought Prototype for it (the first time I've ever chosen a PC version over a console) and, I must say, the graphics and general smoothness of the game are at least twice as good as the console versions. It was a hard decision choosing a PC game over the Xbox version. I was honestly at ends about what to do. I knew if I got it for the PC, and it ran perfectly, it would probably be the last time I'd ever  have to consider choosing an Xbox game over its PC counterpart. In the end, it was the fact that I had just bought a Microsoft Wireless Receiver that signed the Xbox's execution order. This nifty little device lets me use an Xbox pad on my computer. I now have the ease of Xbox gaming with the power of my PC. Did Prototype run smoothly, you may ask? No it did not! It took the best part of six hours to get it working. First of all, the sound was messed up; everyone sounded like chipmunks. Eventually though, I found the solution. It was simple really, just a quick change of sound quality (from 48000khz, to 41000khz). The second problem took a lot longer. The game would not run at all. If I hadn't got such a good system, I wouldn't have cared. But, the game lagged like a three-legged donkey. After several hours of cruising the net, I discovered that it was caused, weirdly, by having too many Human Interface Devices enabled. After sorting these problems out, the game ran perfectly. What's the point of this little rant? Well, I just took a long winded route to tell you that my favourite platform for gaming is the PC. I love everything about it. The games are just amazing, and you'd never see a console with the likes of Company of Heroes, or World in Conflict. I love the fact you can upgrade it. I love that, for the most part, DLC is free. What more can I say? Anyways, check out my articles, and post some comments, etc... ArmA II anybody?    

So.... who's excited about Prototype? ME! I can't wait for this game. I've been following it for awhile now and, let's face it, it looks awesome. The whole concept is fantastic... open world, cutting people in half, destroying things, cutting people in half, throwing cars, cutting people in half, jumping really high, cutting people in half. See the trend? I'm not a violent person, mainly because games let me vent that violence. So, you can probably see why I'm excited for this game. On another note, I played inFamous earlier during the week. It's a good game, nice concept, artistic style etc... But I couldn't help feel it was filling a void. I know there's a big debate on which'll be better, inFamous or Prototype. I'm reserving that judgement for now, but I think Prototype will have its work cut-out. inFamous is the type of game that makes you want to get a PS3! Since I don't own one personally, I was VERY tempted to buy one. Only the price stood in the way! 400 euro! Maybe next year, I'll just stick to the office one for now. Could that be inFamous' downfall? And, are console-specific games bad for the industry?   Terminator Salvation anyone?!  

I bought Halo Wars last week after resolutely claiming I wouldn't. I was totally opposed to the idea of playing an RTS on the Xbox. Was I proved wrong? Well, yes and no really. If I were to play Halo Wars as it stands today on the PC, let's just say it wouldn't be my favourite game. But on the Xbox, it's a different story. The simplicity of the controls and combat actually work well together. What I think I like most about it though, is its jump in/jump out nature, and I say this after playing a two hour session of Company of Heroes! Having the ability to switch on, play for twenty minutes, then turn off is somethin PC RTS lack. You need to invest time with a PC game, whereas with a console game, most people want instantaneous gratification (a generalisation I know, but let's face it, it's true). Can RTS work on consoles? Well, prior to playing Halo Wars, I would have said no, but now, I think they can. They'll never be as in-depth as the PC allows, but I suppose Ensemble Studios' title is a starting point.