G-pinions

Aaaaand we're back! Well, at least our comment system is (vastly improved too, though all of the old comments are history), which gives us a lot more incentive to write. Usually this time of year is a pretty slow for gaming, but hell, it's never slow with Halo 2 around. I've don't even want to say how much I've played recently, because it's pretty egregious. Sure, I bought Jade Empire and Psychonauts, even played some of Psychonauts, but I always go back to Halo. And with all of the auto-updates and maps and new playlists finally out, it's pretty much the best it's ever been. I remember last October when Tom and I were wrapped up like crepes in the Halo hype, and would sit around and giddily discuss how we would never be at a loss for what to play whether alone or together once it came out; it didn't quite work out for him (the slightly different Warthog physics weren't to his liking), but it's held up shockingly well for me. And though it took them long enough, Bungie's support to keep things fun and refreshing is very much appreciated. Hell, just look at one of the rest of the new maps coming out late next month:



C'mon, Tom, you don't want to tool around in the Wathog on THAT?

Anyhow, beyond Halo 2 (and believe me, I'm striving for content here), Tom and I played some Culdcept for the first time last week. I picked it up a couple of months ago on a friend's recommendation, and having seen it raved about as a cult classic on every damn gaming forum this side of the Mason-Dixon. It's basically the lovechild of Monopoly and Magic: The Gathering, two games I've played regularly at different points of my life. Only, there's no one to teach it to you, just a 100-screen in-game manual. I'm sure it's simple as bundt cake once you figure it out, but with our powers combined we couldn't even summon a gas monster without questioning our motives. It was rough, but we played three or four games and still had fun despite. I can see how it would get incredibly addicting once you knew the rules through and through and are able to build your own deck and such. There are plenty of timeless mythological battles to behold, such as Giant Rat versus Wall of Flame, and every creature has a cute lil' avatar that inhabits the space you place it on. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to learning the game fully when I get some time (maybe Al can teach me while I'm staying at his place during E3), and I suggest picking it up if you can find it.

I have a feeling some new Xbox 360 info will be out later tonight, as the MTV special was filmed yesterday, so I'll be back with more info at some point this weekend.