It's my sister's birthday! So let's talk about Barney!

Today is July 30th, 2014. This means that my lovely sister, Abbie (who can be an absolute brat when she wants to be, but Lord knows I love her) is turning 24! I feel I am pretty qualified to talk about something she loved dearly. Before she went and achieved an Accounting degree at Drake University, and probably around the same time she first discovered her love of dance, there was a giant purple dinosaur that freaking loved everybody.

As far as my sister was concerned, in her childhood there were 3 things: dance, Pokèmon, and BARNEY!

(By the way, you may not want to do a Google Image search for Barney the Dinosaur, it may ruin your childhood).

Barney & Friends first aired in 1992, putting me at age 7 and, since I had already found Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and was about to discover Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1993, my addiction quota was already met, but Abbie (being age 2 in 1992) ate this up and immediately gravitated towards it. Even going so far as to recording episodes on *gasp* VHS. (and yes I would watch and get that freaking song stuck in my head, dammit!).

Anywho, the main thing I wanted to talk about with this (as it pertains to video games) is a game I remember (for better or for WORSE) playing a lot of with my sister: Barney's Hide & Seek Game for the Sega Genesis.

The game was released on June 1st, 1993. Believe me, my motor skills and video game playing were starting to become the stuff of legends and I was trying my best to take my sister under my wing. (In hindsight, maybe I should have picked a GOOD game, oh well).

After you hit start, you see the "Tips for Grown-ups", which probably should have just read "1. Don't buy this game and 2. Maybe those Pop-Rocks were a bad idea". Instead, they tell you that Barney is looking for 5 friends and 5 presents per level and then tell you how to control him to jump and play in basically the worst way ever (You move him left and right and use the buttons, now shut up and play).

Then we see a mini-Barney on a park bench when kids and Baby Bop (Inverse Barney? Nega-Barney? Anti-Barney? Based, of course, on color scheme) gather round, when Barney pulls a move right out of Power Rangers and magically grows to presumably terrorize the city, or you know, play Hide & Seek.

Then, Barney covers his eyes and starts counting as everyone runs away and shit explodes. Apparently Michael Bay had a hand in this. (Bazing! Man, I can't wait for the new Turtles movie).

Barney got back apparently!

If you're able to find all 5 kids and all 5 presents, you get a "special surprise", and, in the interest of keeping it clean, it's just balloons that explode. Seriously, it's a damn kids game, cmon!

If you didn't find them all, no worries, you couldn't lose in this game. You didn't have to even find the damn kids, who I presume are still hiding wondering where their friend-who-everyone-swears-is-"imaginary" could be. Imagine if Barney got hit by an equivalent of a Koopa Troopa and just died on screen, kids would still be having nightmares today.

When you do find one of the kids who are half-hidden and half-yelling "HEY, I'M RIGHT HERE YOU FREAKING IDIOT!" Barney picks them up and gives them a huge hug (again, keeping it clean...he HUGS them....but believe me, the jokes want to flow).

Ok, dude. You've been singing that song for a week straight now. PUT ME DOWN!

Barney couldn't even fall to his death, since he would hold up a convenient "Crossing-Guard-Style" Stop Sign when he couldn't do anything. Also there were traffic lights on clouds saying when you could or could not jump to the next platform. I imagine they were put in because some asshole Italian plumber decided to be a rebel and jump whenever he damn well pleased.

They did end up getting the actual voice actor, Bob West (no relation to Billy West for you voice actor aficionados ), to voice several phrases unique to this game, like naming every single thing you walk by. Barney was their generations Dora. (See? No original ideas anymore).

Just for fun, here is what a Barney's Hide & Seek Game speedrun looks like:

Look, the game is not very good. Though, it's easy for us to look back at this now and see how a game made for toddlers should be stupid and simple. That's not the point of this, however. I will always remember Barney's Hide & Seek Game as a game that my sister and I played and had fun with (mostly cause we made fun of it) and even though she is becoming a 24-year-old woman, she will always be my little sis. Plus, with her being so fond of Barney as a child, she will at least get a kick out of looking back at this.

Love you sis, Happy Birthday! Now let's get drunk and sing the Barney song!

What's coming up in August?

The best month of the year is upon us. It starts off with a bang (with yours truly turning another year older) and the releases of big name games. Granted, the blockbusters start coming hot and heavy in September/October before the huge holiday push, but that doesn't mean summer is ending with duds. Here is what to look forward to in the month of August:

August 5th:

Sacred 3 - (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

I really enjoyed Sacred 2 and I'm glad a new one is coming out. Fun dungeon crawler that will feature 4-player co-op offline and online.

August 12th:

Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited - (Vita)

The US Vita release of Disgaea 4 which was released on PS3 in 2011 

Hohokum - (PS3, PS4 Vita)

A relaxing game in the same genre as Flower and flOw.

August 19th:

Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition - (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

Remember Diablo III? It's pretty good, right? Well now you can play the main game AND the expansion Reaper of Souls on your current and last-gen consoles. So you really have no excuse now if you haven't played it.

Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare - (PS3, PS4)

This has to be it right? There are no other planned platforms for this? Look, I keep saying this game is surprisingly good and now Sony supporters can get their hands on it. So you really have no excuse now if....hey...

August 26th:

Infamous: First Light - (PS4)

The stand-alone expansion/prequel to Second Son will have players in the role of Fetch. It will also looks damn gorgeous.

Madden NFL 15 - (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

Another year, another Madden. Which means it's almost time to BEAR DOWN!

August 29th:

Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - (3DS)

YES! Just absolute YES! America FINALLY gets this mash-up of the puzzle stylings of Layton and the crime solving deductive adventure style of Phoenix Wright. Objection? Overruled! 

TBD:

Wasteland 2 - (PC, Mac, Linux)

The sequel to the granddaddy of isometric RPG's and what would eventually lead into the Fallout series has been in Steam Early Access for a while now and should see a release this month. Currently tops on my Steam Wish List.

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These are scheduled to change (like always) and probably will and other games may come in and make a mark on the month, but definitely keep your eyes (and $$) out for these titles. It's shaping up to be a big end for summer releases, and to thing, the best is yet to come.

My Most Memorable Multiplayer Moment

Isn't alliteration fun, kids?

With the video game industry shifting its focus from a "Split-screen/local/buddies on a couch" style to more of the online style, it creates more opportunities for ridiculous moments (followed by the obligatory cursing, screaming, stupid internet meme, and "yo momma" jokes).

Gamers today buy games specifically for multiplayer, call it the Call of Duty Effect or whatever, but big, amazing moments happen in multiplayer and I would like to share the one event that stands out above the rest for me personally.

It involves some skill, a LOT of luck, and bringing a gun to a knife fight in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood for Xbox 360.

Stabby, stabby, stab!

Brotherhood was the first in the series to incorporate a multiplayer mode, hell, people didn't even know there was a single player campaign until right before the game was released in November of 2010. People eagerly jumped online to see what AC can bring to the table as far as competitive multiplayer was concerned. Of course we now know the system worked since it's been in every game since, getting a bigger and bigger fan base.

I picked up my copy of Brotherhood at midnight and brought it home where my friend and I booted it up and went straight into multiplayer, which I am sure many people did when they got their copies. I ended up winning my first match in a close, hard-fought battle. While I felt very satisfied with myself (and after pondering retirement from competitive AC: Brotherhood play with a perfect record), I decided to press on and a few days later had the moment I will remember forever as my best moment in online multiplayer.

In AC you can level up and gain perks (like in Call of Duty) and I leveled up enough to equip the hidden gun, which allows me an instant, albeit low-scoring, kill. This would prove to be the smartest thing I have ever done.

Shooty, shooty, shoot!

I was having a great game, but I was in 2nd place, barely, as in by around a 50 point margin. Luckily, (or unluckily depending on how you wanna look at it) my target was the 1st place player, so any kill on him would boost me into first place for sure.

The problem was: time was running out on the match, this was going to be the last contract I was going to get for this game and I had to make good on it if I wanted to win. Once the compass told me I was close, I noticed it was directing me straight up the tall building in front of me. As I climbed up as fast as I could while holding that Right Trigger for all it was worth, my foe jumped to a different rooftop just next to where I was going to end up.

No way I was going to get to him in time, there were literally seconds left in the match.

My target crept towards the edge, preparing to perform an end of match celebratory (and taunt-worthy) swan dive into the haystack below. Seeing no other alternative, I pull my "last ditch effort" card and push the gun button.

It was one of those "time stood still" moments.

I got him mid dive, in the air, instant kill with the hidden gun for 100pts and the "buzzer beater". I had won the match and (I am assuming) his rage for the rest of the evening at least.

While I have had many a good (and too many a bad) moment online with multiplayer games, the "Shot him out of the air to win the match at the last second" moment stands above and beyond the rest. I still can't believe I pulled that off.

I'm guessing he couldn't believe it either, though since I have given up hope on online voice chat, I will never know.

What I Think of: Destiny Beta

One of this year's biggest blockbuster releases will be Bungie's Destiny. The studio that created Halo is off and running with a new IP as well as making it available on both Sony's and Microsoft's platforms since Microsoft no longer owns them. You can tell Bunge is trying to play nice with Sony folk since it not only is releasing a sexy white PS4 bundle, but also making the beta available first on the Sony platforms.

That's where I come in. I got the chance to play a few hours yesterday of the beta on my (OG Black) PS4, and I definitely want to talk about it. While I am aware things will change between now and September 9th, here are my thoughts on how the game is shaping up.

The game opens in spectacular cutscene fashion, setting up the space epic Bungie is well-known for. They talk of The Traveler (which on the first picture of this post, is the white ball) and The Darkness that's been hunting The Traveler for eons, eventually ending life as we know it. The Traveler is able to create Ghosts (that little seeing-eye cube that you see in the trailers) to scour the Earth looking for Guardians (you) to fight off the Darkness.

The game opens with your Ghost (voiced by Peter Dinklage by the way) waking you up and leading you to safety before The Fallen start attacking. It took me a second to get to the safety structure because GOD DAMN THIS GAME LOOKS PHENOMENAL. Many times we will look at a static image of a game and think "That's great and all, but how will it really look when I play it?". Destiny looks as good as the images make it seem.

You find your first rifle and start pulling triggers while numbers fly off enemies, yep, it's an Action RPG alright, and there is something very satisfying about seeing how much damage you do to an enemy. The most satisfying thing, however, is when you punch an enemy. The sound and the feel and the enemy animation all adds up to give you a rush every time you land a punch.

After the intro/tutorial level, you are taken to the main player hub, The Tower, the last safe city on Earth. This is where the MMORPG aspects start coming in to play. You have a Postmaster (for any mail Bungie or other players may send to you), a Gun Vendor, an Armor Vendor, a Vault (bank to store items), a vendor who will identify items you pick up in the world as well as create ones for you, and a NPC who will create bounties for you, basically challenges that, upon completion, reward you with Glimmer (the game's main currency) Vanguard Points (PvE points for special items) or Crucible Points (PvP points for special items). There is even a Shipmaster, where you can acquire different ships, which you see while you are in orbit planning your next move.

The level structure strays from the traditional shooter, opting for one open world with multiple missions to choose from. With it being an MMO, you get to watch and interact with other players as they go on whatever mission they may be doing (BTW, there totally is a dance emote, so you know it's good). You can choose to do the story missions, which will include an instanced boss fight at the end, where if you die, you go back to the beginning of the instance and try again. You can choose to go the "Explore" route, where the game just drops you on Earth (Old Russia) and lets you free roam, activating various missions at beacons left all over the world. These missions can involve exploring, completing a simple objective, or (more likely than not) kill X amount of things. You can also choose the "Strike" mission, which is a 3-man dungeon run. I did one Strike Mission and it took a fair amount of time and was very satisfying when the 3 of us took down the main boss.

Also in the world at various times, there will be a public event where you can spontaneously join and help other Guardians complete a task, like fight off a few waves of enemies, or take down a big tank while also fighting a bunch of enemies. These can be quite hectic and it does feel like a great battle.

While the main focus of the game is co-op (you can create a "Fireteam" with your friends to tackle missions together) you can go to The Crucible to get your competitive multiplayer on. I played a "Domination" style match where we had to capture points and kill enemies to score points. You take all your gear and level abilities from the single player game in to multiplayer. We ended up winning by the skin of our teeth and it was pretty frantic. You do earn XP from multiplayer matches as well and it's all shared in the same XP pool.

Leveling, ah yes, it is an RPG after all. All the RPG elements are there: Gaining XP from kills, leveling up, upgrading your abilities, finding loot like new guns and armor, etc. I always like when games give me an XP bar onscreen so I know how close I am, and how sleep is going to be put off for a little while longer while I fill up this green bar cause I HAVE TO KNOW.

Allow me to hit on a few quick points before I wrap this up:

- Bungie is also known for having a fantastic musical score, and Destiny's music is just as epic and powerful as any out there.

- I felt real tension in some parts of the world, where the lights were out, the sound was creepy, and I didn't know what I was running into, really cool how they were able to achieve that.

- Peter Dinklage is great as "Ghost" and if I had to pick anybody to narrate my space epic in my virtual head, I am glad it's him.

- While I always thought the light on the back of the PS4 controller was a cute little gimmick, it's actually utilized here. The light will get brighter when your flashlight turns on in dark areas, it will also glow yellow when your "Supercharge" ability is ready so you know it's time to unleash. A pretty cool use of the controller and hope to see even more in the full retail release.

To sum things up, after just a few hours of playing this beta, Destiny is shaping up to be a very special game. It evokes the epic magnitude of the space epic like Halo while making its own mark on the genre. I will definitely be playing the hell out of the beta and September 9th can't come soon enough, even if I am playing it on a black PS4.

Evo Moment #37: The 10th Anniversary

Sure, EVO was last weekend, but I still find myself in the fighting game spirit. It might be because I am watching the replays on twitch whenever I am home, maybe it's because I somehow have a tab on my computer open to the Killer Instinct Top 8 intro at all times so I can press play whenever cause it's THAT awesome. Whatever the case may be, I recently acquired copies of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (which I quickly upgraded to Ultra), Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, and Tekken Tag Tournament 2. I also find myself really wanting to build my own fighting stick, more on that story as it develops (gonna happen soon though).

Anywho, the whole reason behind this post is to celebrate one of the most amazing events in competitive gaming history on its 10th anniversary. May I present: "Evo Moment #37: The Beast is Unleashed".

Ok, allow me to set this up so you can get the full scale of what just happened:

- This is EVO 2004 (for the mathematically impaired) and this is a loser bracket final match of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike between Daigo Umehara (playing as Ken) and Justin Wong (playing as Chun-Li)

- As you can tell up top, both fighters had won a round so this was the deciding 3rd round to determine who won this (I can only assume 1st) match of the losers finals.

- Losers finals just refers to being one lost set away from being knocked out of the tournament.

- Justin (Chun-Li) has a supreme life advantage, takes a few hits from Daigo (Ken) but still is able to get him down to a pixel of health.

- Any connected hit will do, even if Daigo blocks any attempted hit, the chip damage off it should knock him out. Seriously, a slight breeze would K.O. him right now.

- Justin busts out Chun-Li's Super Combo, surely something has got to connect or at least chip him out.

- Holding the d-pad/stick away from the fighter is how you block in Street Fighter. Remember though, if Daigo blocks at all, the chip damage will K.O. him.

- If I am remembering correctly, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike was the first in the series to include the "parry" system. Where pushing forward on the d-pad/stick at the time of impact would block the attack AND do no damage to you. Lucky for Daigo, huh?

- You do have a 30 - 40 frame cushion on when the parry can be performed, which is like .000000000000000001 seconds (may be exaggerating but you get the idea).

- Daigo performs the parry perfectly 15 TIMES! In quick succession. Including the final in-air attack. Any one of these hit, he's done.

- To top all this off, after perfectly timing 15 parrys in a row, he has the presence of mind (and the positioning) to bust out a Super Combo of his own and WIN THE MATCH.

- I don't have to have been there to lose my mind watching this, but I bet everyone there absolutely flipped their shit. I would have LOVED to have been there.
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Daigo would eventually go on to lose in the Grand Finals and get 2nd place at EVO 2004 for Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, but that was a moot point, he had single-handedly given the gaming world their version of "The Catch", "The Music-City Miracle", "The Immaculate Reception", etc. This event helped make the competitive fighting scene, and competitive gaming as we know it, into a HUGE deal. Daigo still competes and yes, is still damn good, though he did finish 48th in Ultra Street Fighter IV this year at EVO after a 7th place finish at EVO 2013 in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition.

Justin Wong lost this set, and though it's easy to feel bad for him being linked as the loser in the biggest competitive gaming moment of pretty much ever, Justin is still one of the world's best fighting gamers. Just this year at EVO, he finished 3rd in Killer Instinct and won the Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 tournament (using his own Daigo-style crazy comebacks).

If this interests you, allow me to point you in the direction of the book written about the event: "Evo Moment #37 - One of the Most Famous Moments in Competitive Gaming History by Glenn Cravens.

Now to find out what all I need to make my own fighting stick.......wish me luck.

My thoughts on Finals Day at EVO 2014

I'm a little ashamed to say this, but this was my first year actually watching EVO. I know, I know, I may be tardy to the party but I was so impressed and amazed by the last day of EVO 2014 that I wanted to talk about it a bit. So here are the games played on the final day, and what I thought of the fights. (From when I started watching anyway).

SPOILERS AHEAD! If you didn't watch EVO this year and want to, DO NOT READ ON!

BlazBlue: Chrono Fantasma

First of all, this game is gorgeous looking. Arc System Works games are usually very stylish and this one is no different, and this is a game is no different. Also Arc System Works fighting games are super hard to pick up and play, you HAVE to take A LOT of time to get a character down. Watching this makes me REALLY wanna play some Persona 4 Arena, another game developed by Arc System Works.

Anywho, the fights were exciting as hell and moves started coming out of nowhere. The Grand Finals here were heart pounding as Galileo came from the losers bracket, went down 2 - 0 out of the best of 5 series, won 3 straight to reset the bracket, went down 2 - 0 again, then won 3 straight AGAIN! Absolutely nuts!

Killer Instinct

It is great to see this game on the EVO main stage since the Xbox One was booed off the stage at EVO 2013. It seems that the fighting game community (or FGC as it were) is giving this game and the Xbox One a chance. A lot of Sabrewolf and Thunder play here. I also saw one guy (Rico Suave) play 3 characters in one set (Jago, Glacius, Fulgore).

The finals were intense and all, loved it, but the thing I am going to take away from KI at EVO 2014 is this:

I lost my shit, that was the coolest intro of like ever and as much as I dislike the term, I feel HYPED!

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Yep, it's 2014, y'all, and they were playing a Gamecube game on the main stage of EVO. Of course this is after Reggie Fils-Amie recorded a video getting players HYPED for the new (Still without a sub-name) Super Smash Bros. for 3DS (October) and Wii U (Holiday). No announcements or reveals, just "Hey, thanks for playing and supporting the series, don't forget we have new games coming out this year". Which is fine, guess I was expecting a new character reveal or a new stage or SOMETHING.

These finals took a while since it was 1-on-1, 4 lives, best of 3 then best of 5 in the finals. A LOT of Fox/Falco/Jigglypuff play. This is one of those games that I'd rather watch amatuer play instead of pro play, since they don't allow any items and only play on a select few stages it seems. I'd rather gather up my friends, grab a few drinks, and go nuts.

Finals ended up being a Fox player (Mango) vs. a Jigglypuff player (HungryBox) with Mango (also last year's champion) winning. Dynasty?

Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3

I don't remember much of these finals since I required having a wallet under my tongue from all the damn seizures. Seriously, it is ALWAYS ON in a UMvC3 fight. Shit is popping off everywhere, people are flying in and out of the sides of the screen, flying in the air, lasers coming out, screen changing colors, I don't know how these guys can keep up with the action, but they do, and it's damn impressive.

A good mix of characters here I found, I did see a fair amount of Vergil play as well as Magneto, with a few appearances from Haggar which always makes me happy. One incident that stood out was a fight where the Magneto player used a "Force Push" style maneuver over and over again on a Haggar player to keep him away until the round timer expired. Needless to say, the crowd was less than thrilled about the time scam.

Also these were the craziest finals of the day. Seriously, go watch the replay on twitch at the finals matches with the eventual winner Justin Wong, he pulled the craziest comeback ever.

Ultra Street Fighter IV

At some point, Capcom is going to count to 5 right? This is the 4th iteration in the Street Fighter IV line, and it may very well be the final one (Don't quote me on that, there is still possibility for a 'Turbo' or something). Ultra features new characters, a few new stages (taken from Street Fighter X Tekken), new costumes, and the ability to select which version of the character you want (based on balance changes that were presented in SFIV, Super, Arcade Edition, and now Ultra).

All that being said, the main characters being used were Zangief ("bad guy", that not mean he bad guy), Rose, Juri, Fei Long, and Sagat, with a Ken sighting once. After the non-stop action of UMvC3, this felt to drag on forever, which I am not meaning in a bad way at all. Street Fighter IV is still an awesome game and it was very cool to see pro play.

The eventual winner (Luufy, I think, something like that, it was getting late in the PM/early in the AM by then), came from the losers bracket and ended up, I believe, going 6 - 2 vs the player from the winners bracket. Using his Rose against the losing efforts of Sagat.

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There were other games present at EVO, including Skullgirls, Injustice: Gods Among Us, and I hear possibly Persona 4 Arena. There also was a reveal for Tekken 7. I definitely will be going back through the twitch/YouTube archives and watching the entire event again as it really got my interest high again into fighting games, probably until I try going online and get absolutely destroyed.

Oh well, part of being a gamer who enjoys the occasional fighting game.

Dare I say, GET HYPED! ....ugh....

Awesome Video Game Music - Hell March (Red Alert series)

I tend to wax nostalgic about a lot of games, but one game that I really don't talk about, but was a HUGE part of my young gaming life, was Command & Conquer: Red Alert.

The easy-to-get-into controls and painfully cheesy storyline/cutscenes made Red Alert my favorite game in the RTS genre that wasn't named StarCraft. That good-time feelings went on through Tiberian Sun, as well as Red Alert 2 and 3. I'll admit that 3 wasn't as good as the other 2 games, but was still a fun time.

I digress, this is about the music and the song that defined all 3 Red Alert games, the song that got you all hyped to make alliances, break those alliances, and then hurl nuclear warheads at them....at least that's what my friend Dave always did.....fucker.....

Here is the next installment into Awesome Video Game Music: All 3 versions of  Hell March!

For reference:

Hell March 2 - 6:22
Hell March 3 - 10:06

If all three of these songs don't end up on your "Workout Mix" before long, you need to check yourself.

The first iteration of Hell March (1996) was the one I spent the most time with, seeing as I turned off every other track so I could have the best/only song that matters playing all the time. The second Hell March (2000) was, in my honest opinion, the most bad ass sounding one and is one I will still listen to so I can get pumped for whatever the day wants to throw at me (even nuclear warheads), and the third Hell March (2008) felt like the one most qualified to be in a film like Pacific Rim.

You really can't go wrong with any of these, even if you are playing against my friend Dave.....fucker.....

#ThanksRyan - Some words about Ryan Davis.

One year ago today, July 3rd. 2013, not only did the gaming community lose an important figure, but everyone lost an amazing man in Ryan Davis, former Gamespot editor and co-founder of the greatest video game website known to man, giantbomb.com.

Now I can't speak of any personal experiences, I never met the man, and that's a huge bummer. Meeting the Giant Bomb guys is already on my bucket list. Hell, I started this blog in the hopes that this can turn into a job in the industry someday, hopefully with Giant Bomb, and I owe my passion for video games, and my desire to cover them, to Jeff, Vinny, Brad, Drew, Alex, Patrick, but mostly Ryan Davis.

Everyone that has ever had the pleasure of spending time with him has said nothing but glowingly positive things. Though, you didn't HAVE to be hanging out with him to feel the effects, just seeing him in videos made you feel like he was your best friend. He made everyone smile and his laugh made you forget all about any hardship or stress you had, you couldn't help but laugh along with him. Every time you saw him, you wanted to give him a huge bear hug.

Especially after seeing things like this:

He was always a big kid and someone we all could relate to. For many of us, he was the voice of gaming (along with Jeff Gerstmann, who I coincidently share a birthday with, albeit with a 10 year difference) and it never felt officially Tuesday until Ryan told us so.

I also found this on YouTube. Since I am no video editor (yet, working on it), I will give credit where credit is due. Ian Minor, thanks for putting this together: (NSFW due to language, Ryan don't care).

(the 6:28 mark is my favorite Ryan Davis laugh of all time)

And of course who could forget this?

Stuff like this kept me laughing for days/weeks/months/years/etc. It's because of him (and Giant Bomb) that I consider myself a well-rounded gamer. Without these guys, I would have missed several awesome titles purely by not knowing they exist. More importantly, I always wanted to know what Ryan thought of the game, cause if HE had fun with it, I knew I had to have it. Also, hearing him (mostly) trash every video game based movie ever made (with his 'This Ain't No Game' segment) gave me endless joy.

I guess I can mention this and claim it as my sole interaction with Ryan. This link should go to a Thursday Night Throwdown of Goldeneye 007 for the Wii. The second match involves a player by the name of J. LongTorso who kind of tears it up (yeah, that's me). The most memorable moment has to be Ryan yelling, "Fuck you LongTorso. I hope you get cancer of the torso". BTW, I never got that Oddjob shirt, maybe Ryan was raging. :)

When I first heard of Ryan's passing, not only was I in complete shock, (especially with it happening right after his wedding), it honestly physically hurt me, I had felt that my best friend had died, that's how much he impacted me. I had to take a break from the site because it hurt to even hear his voice. I can honestly say that was the last day I shed tears, and this is for someone I had never met and someone who didn't even know I existed.

Ryan Davis had a knack for making everyone around him smile and laugh just by being there. He was the voice of the gamers and an inspiration to everyone. My passion for video games and this blog would not exist without the Giant Bomb guys, most notably Ryan Davis. The initial shock of his passing may have gone away, but that doesn't mean we don't continue to think of and celebrate the life of an amazing man taken way too soon.

So let's all play games and drink beer in honor of someone I owe an awful lot to. Mr. Rough, Tough, and Dangerous himself.

Thank you Ryan for everything, we miss you.

RIP
Ryan Davis
1979 - 2013

Let's go halfsies; My mid-year awards.

We are halfway through 2014 (!) and with many a blockbuster title on the horizon, I figured I would look back at some games that I thought really stood out during the first half of the year.

Octodad: Dadliest Catch - (PC, Mac, Linux, PS4)

A real break-from-the-norm style of game that is genuinely funny.

Fable Anniversary - (360)

Say what you will about the Fable games (2 was the best) it is still an enjoyable and groundbreaking franchise and it's hard to believe the first one is 10 years old. A fun game that's made easier to go back to due to the better graphics.

Strider - (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3, PC)

The studio behind the reboot of Killer Instinct did it again with their version of Strider. A "Shadow Complex" style game that's fast, smooth, and challenging.

Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare - (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, soon for PS3 and PS4)

One of my biggest surprises of the year. It would have been very easy to just slap the PvZ name on a shooter and make money, but this game is actually a lot of fun and frantic.

South Park: The Stick of Truth - (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)

One of the few games I have played in my life where I actually laughed out loud. I had to pause the game a couple times because I was laughing so hard. Add to that, the fact that it's a rewarding and deep RPG. Any South Park fan's dream game and potential Game of the Year.

Dark Souls II - (PC, Xbox 360, PS3)

People who love(/hate) the series continue to love(/hate) this game. One of those rare franchises that gets better with each iteration. (Counting Demons' Souls in here btw).

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft - (PC, Mac, iPad)

I'm not one for card games. You won't find any Magic: The Gathering cards anywhere near me, but when Blizzard puts their time and money into something, the results are usually spectacular, and this is no different. It was easy for me to get in and start winning a few games. Made me rethink my stance on card games.

Titanfall - (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC)

One of the few shooters I actually "prestiged" in, Titanfall would hook me in and wouldn't let go. Fast, action packed matches where I constantly felt like a badass. While I wish there was more to it, it is still one of the best games of the year thus far.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes - (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, PS3)

Just getting us ready for the spectacle that will be Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. If Ground Zeroes is any indication, it's going to be amazing.

Infamous: Second Son - (PS4)

This might be the best looking game I have ever played. Also, it's a lot of fun. The prequel, First Light is due out later this year.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls - (PC, Mac, soon for consoles)

New class, new mode, new loot, and tons of new reasons to come back and play the best dungeon crawler on the market.

Goat Simulator - (PC)

Seriously, you guys just need to go play this.

Mario Golf: World Tour - (3DS)

A pleasant and addictive experience and a reason why I keep seeing my 3DS XL's battery light flash.

Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure - (PC, Mac)

If anything, it's really cool seeing an FMV game being made in 2014. Also helps that one of my favorite people, Kevin Murphy (Tom Servo from MST3K) is in this game (and delivers a line straight out of MST3K).

Wolfenstein: The New Order - (Xbox One, PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360)

Looks great, plays great, and shows Wolfenstein can still be relevant in 2014.

Watch_Dogs (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

Many people may have been disappointed with Watch_Dogs for various reasons, and yes, it doesn't quite live up to the MEGA hype put upon it, but the game still can be fun and the premise is awesome. You will enjoy this game no matter what.

Mario Kart 8 - (Wii U)

The best looking game on the Wii U and one of the most enjoyable experiences of the year. It's more Mario Kart, and that's still awesome.

Tomodachi Life - (3DS)

Yes it's weird, and it's simple, but it's also an easy way to lose track of time and it works great as a handheld experience. You will definitely get some chuckles out of it.

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Those are some of the main ones. This is not to say I didn't enjoy other games thus far, just saying these are the ones that stood out for various reasons. The blockbusters are yet to come though, so we shall see if any of these games make it to my "Top 10" list come year's end.