Michael

Gears of War 2: the sequel to gears of war.

Anyone at all interested in (or scared by) this kind of stuff should download the free e-book by Cory Doctorow called "Little Brother." It is a fictional story set in the near future. In a very "1984" fashion, California decays into a police state under the watchful eye of the DHS after a terrorist attack on the bay bridge. The book is a quick, entertaining read and illustrates some the potentially chilling effects these devices can have on civil liberties. Its definately worth checking out

http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/

Happy Anniversary!

Skate all the way...although you can't really compare the two games simply because they involve skateboarding. Reviews for Madden games don't and shouldn't draw comparisons to the latest iteration of NFL Blitz. These parrallels can't be drawn for the simple fact that although they are both games based on the same sport each is different type of game; Madden is a more or less a sim, Blitz is an arcade style game. Madden focuses on the core elements of football play book manuevers and timing where Blitz is all about powerups, turbo and other unrealistic, altough entertaining elements.
The same goes for the Skate vs. Hawk issue. Skate, while it does borrow a few cups of sugar from Hawk in terms of mission types (i.e. score x amount of points in y minutes, line/combo missions etc.), approaches skating as a whole from the angle of a sim. Its gameplay is technical at heart with a focus on physics (albiet a wonky engine for physics, for a first iteration of a series it holds its own just fine); timing, speed, height of ollie etc are driving forces behind pulling off lines. Hawk's approach to gameplay is more of an arade style; simple, button based commands which yield astronomically high points if you can master the "nail the trick" minigame and revert into a manual after a bowl trick. Grinding a rollercoaster or around an entire city for 20 minutes straight are also elements which land this game in the realm of arcade games.

Basically the issue boils down to whether you prefer arcade or sim style games. If you're more into games which attempt to approach an experience from a more realistic angle then you're more apt to dig skate (if skating games are your thing, which they probably are if you're reading the comments for this post). You like the idea of riding on rollercoasters with a skateboard or defying gravity and physics in general? Hawk it up then.

Personally i dig skate because the sim approach brings a new element to a genre that has been dominated by the arcade style since the days of Skate or die and 720 degrees. Skate is a fresh and genuinely enjoyable experience and a welcome diversion from the tried and true arcade ways of the tony hawk series.

glad you reminded me. hooray for checking video game websites at work...

yep.

word. post-a-lation.

I'd really like a new tv. Hope i win. Thanks.

A suitcase? Remember Bush's "Razorblade Suitcase?" That album was horrible..but then again at the time i was really into oldschool style hardcore so my opinion may have been a bit biased.

Everything Zen? I don't think so.

reason to not be excited:
*spoiler alert*
The Mr. Bubbles Big Daddy is actually just a laundry detergent advertising ploy.