Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers is out on XBLA!

I had to get a new car. New being a relative term of course as it's not actually new, but new to me. My 2001 Dodge Stratus blew up and had to be put out to pasture. Technically, it didn't blow up. It needed a new water pump, thermostat and serpentine belt. Unfortunately, the water pump on a Dodge Stratus ES 2.7l engine is actually inside the engine casing so the cost and potential of having other problems in the near future outwayed the benifits of having it fixed when compared to getting another car. I got $2500 trade in on it which I thought was fair considering that my car wasn't actually running at the time. So what did I get to replace my faithful Stratus? A 2007 Honda Accord. It has all the extras I wanted (which aren't much, just power doors/windows and such). But the best thing about it is the warranty. Full parts/labor covering all mechanical and electrical systems (except normal wear items like brake pads, tires, yada yada) with only a $50 deductible for 5 years or 100,000 miles. For me, that is great peace of mind. I'm not a traveler and had only put 65k miles on my Stratus in the 7 years I owned it. So, I'm happy. OH! I guess I should post some pics of the car, so here it is.

E3, for those who do not know, is the video game industry's BIG show that happens each year out in LA. This year, there have been some great announcements but two in particular are games that I've been patiently waiting for. The first is the newest installment of Castlevania, which is my favorite video game franchise of all time. It's subtitled "Lords of Shadow" and will be produced by the infamous Kojima of Metal Gear fame. I had mixed emotions about that at first because no one has made a Castlevania as good as series creator Koji Igarashi. But if anyone is going to do the game right, it'll be Kojima.

Now to the next big announcement. A release date of June 17 has been set for Magic: The Gathering on Xbox Live Arcade! I LOVE MAGIC: THE GATHERING!!! I racked up WEEKS of playtime on the original card game and also derive my XBL gamertag, IceAge, from my favorite expansion set of Magic. I never realy liked trading card games until I was introduced to Magic: TG back in the late '80s. My friend Nick and I played every single day after school for hours. There is SO much strategy involved in the game and building/tuning your deck becomes just as much fun as actually playing the game. The XBLA version of Magic is being touted as the most faithful digital recreation of the game to date. And with the thousands of cards spanning numerous expansion sets, there would seem to be an almost limitless possibility for future downloadable content. Now these are just MY two favorite announcements for this years E3. There have been many other very exciting games and technologies revieled all of which are making 2009 look like a great year for us gamers.

I heard a song by a band called Halestorm the other day on my way home from work and I'm TOTALLY addicted to them. They been around for a few years but just first got a single on the radio. They remind me of a mix between Evanescence and Heart. Awesome female lead vocals (and she can play the guitar better then most band front-women) with heavy rocking guitar and bass riffs. If you like good rock music, there's no reason why you won't like them.

Today is the 9 year anniversary of my wife and I. I just wanted to post a little note to mark the event and let everyone know that I'm still just as much in love with her as I was the day we got married. :]

Just as I had hoped, the UFC game kicks ass!  There is so much control which allows for some very intense grappling and close quarters combat.  Also got to check out Bionic Commando and Wolverine last night when Seth came over.  Both games are really good looking but overall, and I can’t say which one I liked better.  There were some incredible fights in Wolverine.  One that Seth showed me pitted Wolverine against a humongous Sentinel.  The scale of the thing was incredible and did an awesome job of making me feel like we were just tiny little ants.  Bionic Commando looked great too and had some beautiful blur and focus effects which really gave the game a sense of distance. 

My friend Seth is destined for greatness. He now has his name listed on IMDB! Congrats my man and don't forget the little people when your rollin' phat in the west hills.