But the other day I was cruising through my Netflix queue and I found that I had about six or seven B zombie movies. I started to watch a couple of them and found myself instantly deleting them from my queue. They were all the same. There were so bad. Loads of extras in raggedy clothing covered in blood pretending to eat the living people. It was almost like a contest to see which one could be the goriest, without caring about any storyline or plot. I’ve seen porno movies with better plots. In fact, the chances are better at me getting through an entire porno movie than most of the zombie movies in my queue.

For the first time I was wishing I had Kinect so I could wave my hand and delete them all as fast as I could.

As bad as the movies are with zombies so are some of the video games. I understand that zombies are the ultimate video-game foe especially when it comes to political correctness or even your conscience. Zombies are already dead, so there is no guilt in killing something that’s already dead. They serve no purpose, they can’t be rehabilitated or saved, and you are actually doing them a favor by putting them out of their misery killing them once and for all.

But I feel as though the zombies of today, much like aliens from outer space in the 50s, have seen much better days. Zombie movies and videogames alike were always a lot of fun, but with the flood of zombie crap that is coming down our streams, we need to sift and pan really hard to find that one golden nugget.

Everywhere you turn there is a new game or movie featuring the Z men. Luckily, most we never play or see. I’m not saying there is still not the occasional decent game or tolerable movie, but sometimes you never get to the wheat because of all the chaff you have to suffer through.

Yes, zombies make easy targets in video games and make for great low-budget films, but I feel the time has come to bury the undead once and for all. (Well, maybe after the new Resident Evil movie.)

It’s time to find a new villain that’s going to destroy humanity and civilization as we know it. Suggestions?

I understand that Halo is a hugely successful IP, and for a lot of people it’s a big deal. But please, can you get it out of my face for a least one second?

Every time I turn on my Xbox, the first thing I see is something about Halo Reach. The second thing I see is something about Halo Reach. The third thing I see,… well, you get the point. For the last few weeks I am getting inundated by Microsoft about this upcoming title. Every day there seems to be a new trailer, a new interview, or some kind of new video. I just can’t get away from it. It’s so out of control that on the cover of OXM magazine and on 99 of the 100 pages inside (maybe a slight exaggeration) there was more coverage of Halo Reach.

I’m not a huge Halo fan, I owned Halo 1 and 2, and I’m familiar with the game, it’s just not my cup of tea. But if there was the slightest chance of me buying this game, Microsoft has so turned me off by being in my face, it’s not going to happen.

Like the old saying goes, you have to know when to say when. And as far as advertising this game goes, when was a long time ago.

This doesn’t just pertain to video games, it goes for all things. TV shows, movies, concerts, political ads. You can only take so much, and then it becomes a nuisance and a turnoff and you want no part of it no matter how good it may be. By now, anyone who has electricity must be aware of the new Halo Reach game that’s coming out, with the exception of one or two people in northern Canada and a few small villages in Bangladesh.

So can you please stop pestering me on my Xbox every day?

We get it. It’s going to be huge. It’s a big deal. Now stop. This may be the best game of all time, and I’m already sick of it because it was “overreached.” Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to play some Headshot 2.

First off, the style of play was strikingly similar to the Xbox Live Arcade title Blacklight: Tango Down. Yes, I am comparing Crysis to an XBLA game because the pace of the game was almost same, but done much better. It was quick; faster than your insane Call of Duty 4 multiplayer session. This was my first exposure to the franchise since I don’t own a PC with the processing power to run Crysis on its best day.

There are six character classes to choose from, ranging from assault to sniper, with a recon and demolitions class in the mix as well. Beginning weapons varied based on class and so did your attachments and secondary weapons, grenades and the like.

I tried all of the them but ended up playing with the assault class the most. The weapon was a SCAR and because I used that weapon exceptionally well in Battlefield Bad Company 2, I connected with that weapon in the multiplayer sessions.

I ended up watching some of the action of other players and got a good layout of the map and gameplay. I also got to take in the scenery and environment that you are immersed in, although you don’t get to enjoy much when of it you’re playing because someone is always behind your back. This is not a game to be sightseeing in.

Everyone runs. Sprinting non-stop seemed to be the final choice of movement for most of the players in our six-versus-six team deathmatch map. I decided to go a normal movement pace and get a feel for the aiming, reloading, and tactics.

It seems that Crysis 2 does not support any sort of “squads” or group point-based system, so it’s every man for himself. I am personally not a fan of this, as I can put in CoD 4 and this style of play there. The graphics were good and ran really smooth, even when a large group was in a room blasting away at each other.

Rewards varied and were based on how the player was doing in the game. I ended up in the top three on my first go through, and I was the top player on my second go. I earned awards that allowed me to see the other opponents on the map without them firing rounds (Much like a UAV in COD4) or calling in air support with a “gunship.” That got me some nice kills on the open rooftops in the map.

The invisibility mode was the most intriguing aspect of the game for me and made it stand out from all the other FPSs that I’ve played. I noticed that most players were using it mainly to run around in for a quick burst (which drains your “energy level” and once that runs out, you loose the power and have to wait for it to recharge) and then shoot someone. I also noticed that if you decide to fire your weapon while this ability is active, a two-to-three second delay occurs where your invisibility cloak turns off and then you can point, aim, and shoot.

I died too many times trying this. In the end I decided to use it only when I felt there were enemies nearby and I would not run but go at a walking pace. This way my “energy level” would drain slowly and I could line up my shot with the SCAR. Before I fireed away though, I would deactivate it and then shoot, which took away that lag time. It was all business as I quickly used this newly found tactic to kill almost everyone I encountered with much success.

Overall, the display of the game to the player seemed very chaotic for the viewer but after playing it myself, I found that it just showed enough for you to get by. Sure, I know this is a test release and it’s not finalized yet, but it seemed like fun. The closest game I can compare it to is Unreal Tournament mixed with Blacklight: Tango Down. If you have a knack for those games, you should love the new Crysis 2 multiplayer.

Of course, they have until March 2011 to change things up and add new additions to the gameplay.

Last but not least, Nick decided to challenge me this weekend with a bet: Whoever wins the most games between us will do whatever the other one wants for some event or game. His proposal is for me to dance like a fool to Lady Gaga in Dance Central for Kinect. I have yet to decide mine, but I am open to any suggestions from the community. Each challenge we win we get a point for winning.

Score so far:
Nick: 2
Chris: 4

We’ll keep you updated on the score each day until Sunday where the winner and looser will be decided and recorded on HD video. Game on!

Crysis 2
Crytek/Electronic Arts
Xbox 360 (Also available for Playstation 2 and Windows)
Available March 22, 2011

Some kind of super soldier fighting aliens in a ruined city? I’ve been there and done that, and I’ll already be doing it again this Fall with Halo: Reach. I don’t really want to play the same game over again, no matter how pretty this second-comer might look.

But seeing Crysis 2 in action Thursday night before PAX on the Xbox 360, it’s clear that this sci-fi shooter is something different, even if it still looks generic.

I spent a few rounds watching others play before jumping in myself — a bad idea, because the game looks more complicated than it really is. The UI is crazy, with reticules and numbers and meters flashing and moving all over the place. It looks daunting and overly busy, and most of it has to be unnecessary because the controls themselves are straightforward: Trigger buttons zoom in and shoot, bumpers use your special abilities, Y changes weapons, X reloads, B crouches, A jumps, and clicking the right stick melees. If you’ve played any console shooter over the past few years you’ll know what to do right away.

The special abilities save this from being a throwaway game. Going invisible really makes you invisible, none of this Predator-inspired, light-bending, cop-out invisibility. You essentially disappear off the face of the earth, which makes it the perfect tool for sneaking up on people and hitting them in the back for an instant kill. But this is never too easy since the game moves at an intense pace. Your skills honed on Call of Duty will come in handy here.

While I didn’t use the strength ability much, there were several moments where it probably would have saved my life had I thought to use it (such as charging at a cornered opponent while he’s reloading — it should be noted that melee attacks on the front are not instant kills). The weapons I used were standard fare for an FPS, but other players around me found energy guns, turrets, and even called in alien gunships, so there seems to be a bit of a variety to your arsenal.

The most impressive part of the demo was the map itself. Taking place outside, across the rooftops of a city, it’s bright and colorful and filled with vertical elements. What’s above and below you is just as important as what’s to your right or left. Death can come from anywhere. This verticality and the wide open sky makes the map feel huge, even though it’s actually well suited to the number of players (six versus six).

Crysis 2’s multiplayer is fast and fun, and even after just a few minutes I found myself adopting a certain kind of playstyle unique to this game, differentiating it from the rest of the shooter pack. But these differences are subtle, only noticeable if you’re willing to invest some thought in how you play, and unfortunately those differences are hidden under an uninspired art style.

This still looks like a game you’ve played several times before, and might not want to play again. But maybe you should. You might like it.

Crysis 2
Crytek/Electronic Arts
Xbox 360 (Also available on Playstation 3 and Windows)
Available March 22, 2011

As a representative of GameHounds, I expect to get some hands-on time with a ton of games — some big-budget AAA holiday releases, and other smaller, lesser known games that could use the exposure. Everything from Portal 2 and Fallout: New Vegas, to nail’d and Lost in Shadows

.

As a gamer, I expect to be overwhelmed with things to do and see: Live shows of my favorite podcasts, massive gaming tournaments for nearly every system, panels, concerts, and random conversations with a bunch of very cool people.

I also expect I’ll embarrass myself with Dance Central my first time — and then want to play it again immediately.

I expect I’ll miss a panel I want to see, and see a panel I thought I’d miss.

I expect to go to sleep late and wake up early, fueled only by excitement and coffee.

I expect to forget that my body needs food to sustain itself until my stomach gets so empty it starts to eat itself, at which point I’ll just dive into the nearest fast-food joint, guzzle a cheap burger, and be on my way again, happy and full.

I expect to compete viciously with the other GameHounds writers for the top score on every game we play.

But more than anything else, I expect I’ll have fun. PAX is known for its friendly atmosphere, and even if the deluge of gaming events is exhausting, the exhaustion is just a sign of enjoyment.

Time honored. Venerable. It’s like the running of the bulls. Or menopause.

Inevitable and inescapable. And, in some ways, not very pleasant.

Yet, here we are: Unplugging, loading, stuffing too much stuff.

Ever been curious to know what stuff we’re taking to PAX? Well, hit the jump and you’ll see a pictorial of Chris Salazar’s and Edie Sellers kitbag — which they will pack their troubles into, but after three days slogging it around the Seattle Convention and Trade Center, I can guarantee they won’t be smile, smile, smile.

First, from Chris Salazar:

• Apple iPad
• Apple iPad wireless keyboard
• Apple iPad camera connector kit
• Flip HD Camera and quick charge kit
• Sony PSP-2000
• Ace Combat X
  
• Final Fantasy II
  
• Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
  
• Gran Turismo
  
• SOCOM Navy Seals Tactical Strike
• Pen and Notepad for interviews.
• Might bring Spiderman 2 UMD movie, as well

Next, from Edie Sellers:

• M-Audio hard disk recorder
• Microphone
• USB headset
• Asus ePC mini-micro-can’t-barely-type-on-it Notebook PC
• Business cards (for myself, Chris, and Nick)
• Juicebox
• Pack of 12 Reporter’s Notebooks
• PSP-1000
• Nintendo DSi
• Flip Video Camera
• Portable iPhone speakers (gotta have the room tunes!)
• Custom-built mixer box that feeds three USB headsets out to M-Audio recorder (Thank you, Kevin!)
• Trevor the Robot (who goes to all media events!)
• Not pictured: Powerbook Pro, iPhone, wireless mouse, cords, tons of pens, cords, office supplies, and more cords

As in it’s the game that I became a true gamer with on the Xbox back in college. The origin. The shinning light. The endless mashing of button A or B and the right trigger until I broke my controller from the heavy usage and had to buy another…ah, good times.

Today I saw a interesting post while searching the net for something that I’d like to write about and behold! Halo Reach LEAKED! According to IGN’s post here, Microsoft is looking into the possible leak and how to prevent it from spreading like wildfire.

The leak news was spread by the actual perpetrators that somehow managed to get a download of the game from Microsoft by hacking into their systems. How tough could this be? Well personally I don’t know but I’m sure some of you have your own opinions.

So how do we all react to this news? Do we avoid all the gaming forums and websites, recluse into our rooms, never to see the light of day until the game releases on September 14?

Not that we don’t do this sometimes already, everybody has a cave.

I do think that it will be hard to avoid everything about the leak, and you know there’ll be pictures, YouTube videos, and premature explanations of what to do on what level and when from someone who doesn’t truly appreciate the Halo franchise.

If you are like me you will not search the news, play whatever is keeping you busy now and when it does come out on the 14th, be ready for a unspoiled, brand new game with a spectacular story and a multiplayer that will forever hook you into online multiplayer gaming!

Hackers out there, why do you try to ruin it for the rest of us? Do you feel needy or get a special rush for knowing you stole something like this — which, by the way, makes you just a common thief? I have read that these kinds of thefts happen because they are poor or “just want to try the game out first.” Lame excuse, man. If you are so poor how did you manage to get computer to hack with in the first place and then be able to buy all that software to hide your IP address and the like so you can’t get caught? Hmm?

Halo fans, don’t be alarmed, I think we will able to control ourselves and wait for this one to come out. Besides, the multiplayer is the other half of the game, and no matter how early you manage to steal this game, the real Spartans will show up and kick your ass online! Oh yeah, Game on. Remember Reach!

In fact, I’ve only been using this software for about 10 minutes and already I learned how to program “GameHounds” into my personal vocabulary list. Pretty cool.

I am writing this, er, speaking this, with my arms crossed and having the software do everything for me in WordPad.

It does an excellent job of recognizing the dictation versus the commands. For example, I can tell it to go and use the “file” command and save the document just by telling it to. I can also have it use the “edit” command and select all and copy into the WordPress program so Edie can review it before going live to the website.

My laptop is old so I don’t get to use all of the bells and whistles that Dragon offers, but all I really wanted was something to save me from hours of typing by hand, and this does the job very efficiently. I heard some horror stories about the Dragon software and how it takes hours and hours to learn how to use it, but I literally am writing this article just minutes after installing.

It does have a very in-depth tutorial and also comes with a quick reference card which shows you some of the more common commands you can say. Again, I am quite surprised at the job it does between recognizing the dictation and the commands, and there are a lot of commands.

You have the ability to really get this to be a hands-free device for most of your applications on the computer. From searching Amazon and other websites to opening programs, if you take the time to learn you can pretty much do everything without using the mouse or keyboard at all. The only drawback I’ve found it just doesn’t seem natural to speak so quickly and have a software program pick up your every word. It’s not a bad thing, just not how we normally do things. It’s also a little funky when you have to say the word “comma” or “period.”

But what is nice about this program is that you can intervene with the mouse and keyboard at any time to make your corrections quickly, even though you can make corrections just by speaking into the microphone. But that is taking me longer, as I’m still learning this program. And speaking of that, pardon the pun, just in the few minutes it took to speak this article I’ve already learned how to do so many new things. My ultimate goal is to be able to make and drink Scorpion Bowls while I “write” my GameHounds articles. Right out of the box, I’m giving Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 some very high marks. If it does anything it gives your hands of break and is a lot of fun to use.

Be sure to check back soon as my Need for Read series continues.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11
Nuance Communications
For Microsoft Windows
$94 on Amazon.com
Available now