Gamer Score and You

So this past Christmas, my nephew got Guitar Hero 3 for his Play Station. I played it that day over at my sister's house and I quickly learned that it was a fun game to play. That and I totally kicked my nephew's butt!! So within the next few days I decided that I was going to purchase the game for me and my X-Box 360 (far superior to the Play Station). So I did.

Then I looked at my gamer score and saw that I was under 1000 points. I thought that was rather lame so I set out to raise my score. I set a goal of 3000 points for myself to get to by this summer. I mean I was just under 1000 - so I figured 2000 points shouldn't be that hard to accumulate. But how to do this without breaking my bank account and buying every cool game out there?? Simple - play the games I already have! Mind you, I had Gears of War that I had not played and I had a few other games that I had tried and put away. It was just a matter of playing games and having fun playing them. I think I can handle that!!

So I started playing Guitar Hero 3. In a matter of days I had beaten the Tour on Easy mode and was more than half way through the Tour on Medium. I tried Hard - and it was really hard. So I stuck with Medium. Then I borrowed GH 2 from a friend and applied the same technique. Blew away Easy and Medium on that, all the while racking up gamer score points.

Then Devil persuaded me to try Gears of War. So I did. WOW!! Talk about a life changing event. OK - so maybe its not that good - but it was the best game I had played since Halo 3 game out. Devil and I co-opped our way through the campaign on that and finished shortly before the release of Gears 2. Well I did go out and buy that game. Gears 2 blew away GOW. It was awesomely good. Once again, Devil and I plowed through the campaign on that one too. Then did it again on Hardcore!! NICE.

So by this time, I had hurtled across the 2000 point barrier and was well on my way to my 3000 points. Also, by this time, Bungie released the Mythic Map Pack for Halo 3. Along with that were a whole slew of new achievements. So the Prophets have been working on unlocking many of those achievements and enjoying the new maps.

While I am just shy of 3000 points, I am pretty sure I will be there shortly. I put together a list of the games played by the Prophets and how much gamer score we have achieved in each game. My challenge to each of the Prophets is to get to 3000 points! I will play Halo, Gears of War, Guitar Hero and Battlefield: Bad Company with any of you any time. The only game I won't play is that DDR/DS 2 game that Domino got (he claims for his daughter - but I know its his favorite). So take a look at the chart and start building up for that 3000 mark!

Gears of War - to be a Trilogy of Films??

The guy who directed the Underworld series and Live Free or Die Hard has been tapped to write and direct the Gears of War movies. I say movies, as in three movies. He believes that the story can be told to its greatest effect over the course of three films. Oh, by the way, his name is Len Wiseman.

In a recent interview with Bloody-Disgusting.com, Mr. Wiseman explains how he found Gears of War and briefly tells about what he intends to do.

“I’m writing Gears Of War with Chris Morgan, who wrote Wanted,” he tells BD before explaining that he wasn’t much of a gamer until he saw GOW in his movie Live Free Or Die Hard.

“I suck at video games, it just takes me too long and I can’t get the coordination of ‘em. When I was on [Live Free Or] Die Hard, I had to choose some video game for the background in a scene with Kevin Smith. I was shown about a dozen games and told to ‘Choose one to be in the background’ and I said ‘this one looks really, really cool whatever it is,’ and it was Gears Of War. I just really connected with it; the design of it the world, the whole thing. So I actually brought an Xbox 360 to start researching what it was.”

“It’s going to be much more [on the] science fiction side of it than the creature side of it. I’ve always been much more of a sci-fi action fan than a horror fan,” he reveals also explaining that he wants the scope of the film to be told over the course of three films! “The hope is that were wanting to do a three movies and really cover the bases on everything. Basically a harder edged Lord Of The Rings.”

And now, some obligatory pictures from Gears.

Holiday Plans??

Well, its that time of year again. Actually, its my favorite time of year. The Holiday season is upon us in full bloom. We have snow and cold, bell ringers at all the stores, and of course, soon we will be stuffing our faces with turkey, taters and gravy.

I like Thanksgiving for many reasons. First of all, my family generally all comes home for one of the few times of togetherness each year. For that I am truly thankful. Second, my brother and I take all the boys to a Sabres game. Probably the only game I will go to this year. And finally, its the end of the election season.

This year was particularly hairy for me. It being a Presidential election year meant work. Lots and lots of it. I lost track of how many hours I put in, but it was a lot. I worked 30 out of the 31 days in October. I managed to work 41 consecutive days from September to that one day off in October and overall worked 70 out of 75 days. Like I said, it was a very busy year at the office. But now its over. No more early days. No more late days. No more weekends. I think I am most thankful for that.

Holiday season also means the arrival of new games for the XBox 360. Gears of War II immediately jumps to mind. Devil talked me in to getting Gears of War and we started co-op playing through the levels. It was damn entertaining and the most fun I have had playing video games in a long time. One Friday we finished the game. So the next morning I went out and purchased Gears of War II. Devil and I started playing that and then started exploring the online (XBox Live) content of the game. WOW!! Just go out and get the game and start playing. You too will discover just how cool it is to perform a custom execution move on a Locust scum. And then you will stumble upon Horde mode (for which you can get an achievement). There are still a lot of the multi-player game types I haven't even tried yet. There are just endless hours and hours of entertainment to be had from this game.

So what are my plans for the holidays?? Sleeping in, watching football, eating lots of food and playing Gears of War II. Who wants to join me??