I'm on fall break until Monday and am back in my home town. This means I'll be away from all the game systems in my apartment. This will make my pledge very easy. I'll have more things to do and less time to waste by thinking about video games.

Yesterday was a little harder than I thought it would be, but not because I felt an over whelming urge to play any particular game. I found myself trying to think of things to do between classes and constantly having to remind myself of my pledge. I'm so used to walking in my living room when I'm bored and turning on the Xbox. I think the hardest part of these first few days will be trying not to forget about my goal and accidentally playing a video game. But other than that, I'm enjoying the break.

Last night I decided that for the next two weeks I would not play any video games. I have both Fable 3 and Rock Band 3 pre ordered at my local gamestop and i know when those games come out I will play them to an unhealthy extent, but currently I have no games that I feel any desire to play. So until those games come out I will not play a video game.  

To most people, this would seem like a very simple goal. But I think ( i hope) that the subscribers of a gaming community like GiantBomb would understand the difficulty that this holds for someone who has become reliant on the sense of freedom and exploration that video games offer. I've been a gamer all my life but for the last few years, my interest in video games have been growing to a near addictive state. 4 or 5 hours a week turned into 6 or 7 hours a day.  Because I live in an apartment that has all three current generation gaming systems as well as a Sega genesis, i feel constant pressure to indulge.
 
The purpose of this experiment is not to quit playing video games, it is just a break. I play video games so much i feel like I'm losing touch with reality. Sometimes I feel like I'm just watching myself and those around me, that my actions have no impact on the real world but rather a predetermined situation as in a video game.
 
So far I don't feel a very strong  desire to play. I anticipate this being difficult. I hope that this blog will keep me on track. I wil update this daily with feelings about video games.

The original Bioshock was a landmark title, rejuvenating the first person shooter genre and putting "atmosphere"  on the tongue of gamers everywhere. The sequel, however, was less breath-taking of a game. Bioshock 2 continued the franchise's staple environment and gun play while adding little to the formula but forgettable characters and Linear plotting. 
 
So what's next for the franchise that brought back the "puzzle shooter"? One word, prequel. Yes I know Everyone says that. But I really believe in the potential of this idea. 
 
 First of all the protagonist; a wealthy resident of the Andrew Ryan's underwater paradise. The player fights his way out of the falling city while overcoming the shock of seeing his friends and neighbors turn into hideous monsters right before his eyes. 
 
 Story: The Story opens at the peak of Rapture's majesty. Gold platted everything, champagne, fine silk, music and laughter. But as it progresses the effects of ADAM becomes more apparent until the splicers finally rise up and wreak havoc on the city. The Protagonist stayed away from ADAM at first, but now that he must fight for his life, ADAM is the only thing that can save him. Will he make it out alive or will HE TOO succumb to the effects of  splicing?  
 
 Villain: This one is harder, Ryan, Fontaine and Lamb are out. But I think it might work to have a close friend of the Protagonist be introduced early in the game and it is later revealed that he is the leader of the splicer gang that is ravaging the city. The old "Friends caught on opposite sides" thing might be intresting to see play out in a game such as Bioshock. Naturally, the player will be fighting Splicers ( but this time more human-looking), and Big Daddies that have been released to stop the splicer gang by any means necessary.

 Bioshock's strength has always been, in my opinion, it's ability to show how easily beauty can turn to ugly, ambition turns to evil, and good intentions turn  to animal instinct.s . What better way to do that than to show the downfall of the most ambitious city ever built. The players can live out the event that made the previous games possible. This game could allow fans to rediscover what made the first game good and, by adding the emotional tension of fighting off your friends and not just faceless thugs, provide them with a different enough experience to separate it from being just another Bioshock game. 
 
 The only problem is the Bioshock 2 multiplayer which also takes place during the destruction of the city. This can be solved by two approaches; " That was in a different part of the city" or " Whatever". 
 
 So what do you think? Do you like this Idea? I'm I crazy? What would you like to see in the next Bioshock game?

While Hollywood scrambles to buy up the rights for the huge blockbuster games like Call of Duty, Bioshock, and Gears of War but I think there is a game that has the potential to be made into a great movie, that's right, Roller Coaster Tycoon. 
 
 Picture a man down on his luck who inherits an old, run down them park. Instead of selling the land he decides to reopen the park. He must put in all the neccesary shops, make repairs to the broken equipment and hire new staff. Eventually the park is back to its prime and becomes a huge success. A heart warmer for the whole family. the American dream story we all need. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll bring the whole family.  You can put in nods to the original franchise without alienating the non-gamer audience.
 
As for casting I suggest someone like Woody Harrelson or Will Farrell. An middle-aged, average looking actor with comedy chops. Someone the audience will recognize but won't overshadow the story. 
 
What do you guys think? Would you go see it? Could it ever happen?

What would you like to see in the next Assassin's Creed? 
 
 Personally, I've always enjoyed traversing the beautiful and unique environments of the Assassin's Creed franchise. From the Medieval Middle East to Renaissance Italy, Ubisolft has pushed the limits of video games. But as for the future of the franchise, I strongly believe that the only way to go is to Revolutionary America. 
                     Just picture it, Benjamin Franklin making weapons for you, taking kill orders from Jon Adams, Alexander Hamilton and George Washington. Not only does this fit with the three hundred year skip the series has established but it is full of historical relevance and fascinating characters. Not to mention most of the founding fathers were Masons, the secret society that the series has obviously tagged as the descendants of the Assassin order ( Just look at the Assassin symbol). 
                     I want to go under cover as a red coat, help the revolutionaries, assassinate corrupt politicians and discover the secret behind the most powerful empire on the planet. Think National Treasure with hidden blades. 
 
What do you want to see in Assassin's Creed 3? Do you agree with me? Do you think I'm crazy?

What would you want to see in a new Borderlands game?
 
 Personally I think there is only one way Gearbox can go with this franchise. I want to see four complately different characters in a completely different part on Pandora. The classes can stay but I think this is the only thing that can bring a fresh face to Borderlands.  I want four new adventurers with a totally new quest. Claptrap, Marcus and maybe Dr. Zed can stay. These are characters that are recognizable as part of the Borderlands world and have been established as transportable ( so a new environment would not pose a problem).  But bringing back Brick, Mordecai, Lilith, and Roland is not necessary. They've accomplished their mission and lived happily ever after. Gearbox needs to learn from the success of Left 4 Dead 2 and give us four new main characters in a new environment. 
 
What would you like to see? Do you agree with me? Do you think I'm completely crazy?

I've never been a huge fan of the Splinter Cell franchise but I remember when it was a big deal. The Splinter Cell name used to carry enough weight to garner a wave of anticipation rivaling Halo or Call of Duty. Is Splinter Cell still a top-notch game series or has it's influence and popularity waned?  Is there any way Splinter Cell Conviction can be as successful as it's predecessors?

" You know what's gonna happen, obviously reach falls and you are the Spartan who escapes who then becomes the Halo spartan."
 
This quote from Garrentt Lee in the Game trailers 2010 games special ( the same one in which Jeff appeared) hints to the appearance of the Master Chief as the protagonist of Halo: Reach. In the book, Master Chief is not present during the events at Reach and becomes the only survivor because he was not there. I know fans of the book would be upset at this change, but I as for me, my anticipation for this game would skyrocket if it was confirmed that Lt. John 117 will make his rerturn to the franchise.  Even though the Master Chief is arguably overrated and boring, he is the hero i know. I want to play as Mario, not some other plumber that is more interesting.
 
 What do you guys think? Does this guy not know what he's talking about? Am I reading too much into this comment? Would you prefer to play as a young master chief or a new spartan?

 The gamer in question...
 
1. hasn't even heard of video games.
2. is aware of video games
3. occasionally plays video games at parties or whatever.
4. enjoys playing video games every now and again
5. casual gamer
6. regularly plays video games
7. plays video games a lot
8. really into video games
9. lives video games 
10. Hardcore
11. HARDCORE!!!