One of the first social networking websites that gained massive popularity was MySpace. Ten years ago, everyone had a MySpace page, and used it to keep up with all of their friends and to share music before it became illegal to share copyrighted music. Eventually, when that generation moved on to high school, [... Read more here]]]>

One of the first social networking websites that gained massive popularity was MySpace. Ten years ago, everyone had a MySpace page, and used it to keep up with all of their friends and to share music before it became illegal to share copyrighted music. Eventually, when that generation moved on to high school, they joined Facebook, back when it was exclusively for college and high school students, and required you have a school e-mail address in order to be able to join. Finally, Twitter entered the picture, taking the status update trend to it’s peak by simplifying it and making it mainstream. Within the past four years however, Facebook opened up to the general public, allowing anyone and everyone to join. And within those past few years of it being open, they’ve changed the layout more times than most social networking websites do within a twenty year period. With these changes have come controversy, and the state of Facebook is up in the air, yet, it continues to be extremely popular.

Who? What? Why? (Credit: Screenshot by Weasel Terrahawk from Facebook)

The latest update, however, completely changed the way the information is relayed to the user, which has annoyed a large audience which has used Facebook for quite some time. The way your friend’s updates were sent to you is the main feature that has changed many times over, until now, where it gives you an information overload. Before, you had the option to just receive your friends’ status updates on the main page, giving you the main information that your friends wanted you to have. Over time, Facebook modified the home page to show you whenever your friends changed something on their profile. Now, you see not only their status updates, but every time they add a friend and when they fan a page or join a group. Most of this is extreme information overload, as you don’t know 90% of the people that your friends are becoming friends with, yet Facebook finds it important to let you know this information anyways.

Following this mess, they also reorganized the top bar and left sidebars in a very inconvenient way. When you first look at the top bar, you’ll notice next to the Facebook logo three images, all which drop down when you click on them. The problem is, unless there is a new update and they are lit up in a lighter blue, you can barely see them as they are a dark blue on blue background. This color choice doesn’t seem to make much sense, as these buttons still can be useful to the ordinary user if they could see them more properly. And even though there is a new button for when you receive new friend requests at the top, you still receive an alert in the right hand sidebar telling you that you have a new friend request, making it redundant in one of the two locations.

An unoriginal design. (Credit: Screenshot by Weasel Terrahawk from Facebook)

The left sidebar was also updated in order to, in theory, organize all of the major functions of Facebook better. However, in doing this, they’ve hidden some of the features that were normally out in the open behind other menus that supposedly make sense. To find the Video section, you now have to first go into the Photos dropdown. While, in an effort to save space, this could make sense, for those who are looking for videos on a whim, they have to go searching through the menus to find it. Another issue which has come with the new sidebars is the size of the page. In what can only be assumed as an attempt by Facebook to appeal to those users who still are using a low resolution on their monitor, they’ve shrunk the page so that it fits into a smaller area. However, in doing this, they also kept all of the previous pages at their same resolution, meaning that pages which were once longer are now squished together to fit into these new dimensions, making them look much less professional than they have been before.

Even though Facebook has all of these shortcomings, there is still one major use for Facebook. Facebook is one of the leading social networking sites on the Internet, meaning they get an immense amount of traffic daily. Small game developers have used Facebook as a platform to host their games, and they can even make money that way, especially when enough people play the game and spend real money in order to obtain in-game items. One of the leading examples of that is Farmville, now an award-winning game in a new category that has been showing up in many video game award shows lately for Best Social Networking Game. They are able to have their company and make a profit just by having their game on sites which use an Application platform which was started by Facebook, and now has been adopted by MySpace, which also has games such as these.

The Weasel Report Fan Page on Facebook. (Credit: Screenshot by Weasel Terrahawk from Facebook)

But another one of the main features of Facebook is for companies and businesses. Just like on Twitter, companies can use Facebook to make a page specifically for themselves, and can update their fans or consumers on the status of their projects, to hold contests, or just to advertise whenever they have an update on their website. It’s a great way of getting your company exposure to a massive amount of people at once. Even the Weasel Report has their own Facebook Page which updates it’s fans whenever there is a new entry here, and even allows fans to comment on those entries there if they don’t want to comment here. For a website or company owner, it makes it hard to not participate in Facebook when you know there is so much potential to communication and connect with your fans on it.

Facebook is, as stated before, one of the largest, if not THE largest, social networking website on the Internet today. However, even while their status update idea which started by saying “Your name is…” and then having the user enter the rest, then allowing the user to remove the “is” and replace it with whatever word they wish, and eventually moving to the current “What’s on your mind?” question which was virtually started by Twitter, the site just has lost it’s originality, and keeps trying to change in order to keep people interested in staying with them. It’s main hook, however, is the ability to keep up with companies that are popular, or to advertise your own if you so wish. It’s a vicious cycle, but when you get this popular, it’s hard to let it go.

Final Fantasy XIII Publisher/Developer: Square Enix Release Date: March 9, 2010 Platforms: PS3, 360

Disclosure: This review is based off of the PlayStation 3 version of Final Fantasy XIII, which may differ from the Xbox 360 version.

Square Enix has finally hit the next generation of consoles with the release of Final Fantasy XIII [... Read more here]]]>

Final Fantasy XIII
Publisher/Developer: Square Enix
Release Date: March 9, 2010
Platforms: PS3, 360

Disclosure: This review is based off of the PlayStation 3 version of Final Fantasy XIII, which may differ from the Xbox 360 version.

Square Enix has finally hit the next generation of consoles with the release of Final Fantasy XIII for the PlayStation 3, and now even for the Xbox 360. Without playing either of them, the only main difference that can be said between each version is the fact that the Xbox 360 version is spread across multiple discs, due to the size of the game. Other than that, it cannot objectively be said which version is the “better” one without extensively playing through them both. None the less, FFXIII brings to the table an absolutely gorgeous game with another new type of battle system, and another new type of upgrade system, both of which are simple to understand, but look to be complex in their own ways. However, even though the game may look wonderful, it falls short in many aspects that previous Final Fantasy games have shined on.

The graphics are once again beautiful for a Final Fantasy game.

The controls are simple and easy to understand, as they always have been. Moving is controlled with the left analog stick, and the camera is controlled with the right analog stick. The camera, however, can be a pain to control sometimes, especially when you’re moving your character and trying to change the direction of the camera at the same time. The camera tends to want to move in the direction that you are running, no matter where you would rather it be, which can sometimes make you sick as it jerks back and forth. Another thing that you’ll note very quickly is how linear the game really is. From the beginning, you are forced down skinny corridors that move you in a single direction, not allowing for any types of exploration. Later in the game you are given a little more freedom as you are given sidequests, but for the first 20 odd hours of the game, you’ll be traveling in a straight line. Treasures are practically not hidden at all, as if they are down a side route, it will be simple to tell exactly where that route is by your mini-map.

To add to how linear this game really is, there are no cities, towns or shops to visit. To buy or sell items, you will access the “Shop” from save points, which electronically connects you to any types of shops that are available at the time. Save Stations, as they are called, are gratuitously scattered throughout the game, so you’ll never have a hard time finding a place to save. Upgrades to your weapons can also be made at these Save Stations, and while it helps, it can be very unnecessary to do, which adds another level of disappointment on to the game.

Abilities take up segments of your ATB gauge based on their power.

The battle system is the biggest change, and will leave you wanting something more. The ATB, or Active Time Battle gauge has returned, but in a different fashion. Each ability that you want to use costs a certain amount of segments in your ATB gauge, removing the idea of magic points or any limit on the amount of spells you can use. When the ATB gauge is full, your character will use the commands that you’ve chosen on the enemy that you selected, creating a chain. Attack chains are extremely important in this game. The more attacks you do in succession, the more percentage of damage you do to your enemy, until at a certain point they become “Staggered”. Once an enemy is Staggered, they become much more susceptible to massive amounts of damage, which can easily turn the tide of the battle in your favor. Ala Final Fantasy XII, you continue to only control the Leader character, while your other two party members are controlled by the AI. This brings to light the final most important battle strategy, the Paradigm Shift system. At any time during battle you can press L1, which brings up a menu which allows you to choose which role each party member plays. These roles include Commando and Ravager, which are attack based classes; Sentinel and Medic, which are defensive based classes; and Synergist and Saboteur, which are support based classes. There are many times where you will be changing your Paradigm every other action, so it’s imperative to be watching the battle to see what the status of your party members and your enemies are. While all of these features are nice, battles are hindered by the fact that they move so fast. While this may appeal to some players, choosing the commands that you want your party to use manually is slow, and can end in your failure, which is why there is an Auto-Battle button, which automatically selects the best commands that you should use. Unfortunately, this makes battles boring and monotonous, as you can sit and just press the X button repeatedly, and be finished with a battle within eight seconds of it’s start.

In addition to all of these features, summons have also returned, under the new name of “Eidolons”. Each character is assigned one Eidolon, and can only summon that one. To acquire these Eidolons, however, you must battle them while under a Doom counter, which counts down the time until you are killed, and the battle is over. Once you have them and summon them, they fight beside you with an SP gauge. Once their SP runs out, they leave the battle. At any time though, by pressing Square, the Eidolon enters Gestalt mode, which turns them into a vehicle which your character rides. This system is odd, and doesn’t really add much to the game other than being flashy.

The new Shiva Sisters Eidolon which... turn into a motorcycle.

Ala Final Fantasy X, levels for your characters don’t exist, and instead you upgrade your character through the Crystarium. After each battle your party earns CP, or Crystogen Points, which can be used to traverse through the Crystarium of each character, unlocking addition stats for your characters, including HP and Magic, or unlocking new abilities for each role that your character possesses. Sadly, CP is earned very quickly, allowing for a rapid traversal of the Crystarium. The challenge of unlocking everything comes slowly, until you unlock more roles for your characters to be able to play as. In addition to this, each character may or may not unlock each ability, so certain characters seems to be obviously better suited for certain roles over others, making it hard to be able to use a certain group and make them well rounded in each role.

As anyone can tell after seeing any screenshot of the game, it’s gorgeous beyond many games seen today. While you can still tell when the game enters a cutscene, the non-cutscene moments when you are learning more about the story look wonderful, with character mouth movement animations syncing perfectly to the voice acting. For the most part, the voice acting is spot on, but the voice actor for Vanille stands out like a sore thumb as something that just doesn’t belong. Given enough time, her voice will wear on you as it moves in and out of what seems to be an Australian accent, and her giggles and squeaks are odd and obnoxious. The music in the game is also somewhat sub-par compared to previous Final Fantasy games. It seems shines with the elegant orchestral beauty that they are famous for, but seems to miss the feeling of some of the scenes as happy, chipper music plays during a scene that just doesn’t fit the mood.

Lightning summoning an Eidolon with the Attack Chain gauge in the corner.

While Final Fantasy XIII is an okay game, it seems to just fall short in many of the areas where the previous games have excelled in. The first two hours of the game are extremely slow and boring and throw you into a story which, at the time, you have absolutely no knowledge about. And you are unable to choose your party until the 20-25 hour mark of the game as well, when the game finally opens up a little more. The battle system, while much faster paced and seemingly more exciting because of it, fails to excite as well when the player just has to continuously use the Auto-Battle function instead of actually selecting their commands. It’s not to say that Final Fantasy XIII isn’t a good game, and it isn’t bad either, but there’s not enough in it to consider it that outstanding RPG that we’ve been looking for in it.

Social networking websites are what make the Internet go ’round, or so it seems nowadays. There are hundreds of ways for people to keep in contact with their friends, share information with them on their life, share events and other important information, keep up with companies that you like, or if you are [... Read more here]]]>

Social networking websites are what make the Internet go ’round, or so it seems nowadays. There are hundreds of ways for people to keep in contact with their friends, share information with them on their life, share events and other important information, keep up with companies that you like, or if you are that company, keep in contact with the people who are your fans or clients. The hard part of all of it is choosing which ones you want to use, or that might be useful to you; or if you should just use all of them. Everyone has their own opinions on which sites are “better” than others, so let us jump into the foray ourselves.

One of the most popular, yet most highly ridiculed social networking websites, is Twitter. Twitter uses a unique system in order to convey information from person to person. First of all, there are no fancy profiles; it’s just your name, your picture, and a small biography on yourself. Secondly, and most importantly, all update that are made can only be 140 characters. Many people ask why that is, and the answer is simple; when Twitter was made, they wanted a quick and easy way of getting information from one person to the other directly via their cell phones. Text messages can have a total of 160 characters, so this allowed for a username and the Tweet, as each update is called, to be sent to them in a single text message.

A sample Tweet. (Credit: Screenshot by Weasel Terrahawk from Twitter)

The team behind Twitter realized, however, that it was being used for much more than just personal updates on what a person is doing. Twitter is also widely used to convey information, such as news stories, company updates, and much more. Due to this, Twitter changed the question that they ask when you update from “What are you doing?” to “What’s happening?”. Doing this shows that Twitter isn’t out to just have you update exactly what you are doing at all times, as it was previously misconstrued to be in the past, but rather as a form of communication to share what may be on your mind, or what is going on at the time that you have something you want to say about.

Of course, this brings on a lot of questions from a lot of people. Many people complain about the fact that 140 characters isn’t enough to properly update people on what’s going on, but let’s think about it. By limiting the amount of characters in your update, it forces you to really think about what you want to say, instead of just posting a long update that will lose peoples’ interest. It makes you keep your update concise and to the point, making it easier for those reading to know exactly what you are trying to say. Not only that, but it makes keeping up with a large group of people easier, as you are getting the meat of the story right away, without having to sift through the extraneous information that just clutters up the web.

The simple update box. (Credit: Screenshot by Weasel Terrahawk from Twitter)

The support for Twitter has grown exponentially as time has gone on. While anyone can access a mobile Twitter site provided by Twitter themselves, there are also hundreds of Twitter Applications, both for your computer and on specific phone devices, which allow you to have a more customized experience when using Twitter. One such application is called blu, and was made using the Microsoft .NET 3.0 platform. Using this application, Windows users are able to use a more visual atmosphere to keep in touch with the people who they follow, follow conversations between peoples’ replies to other tweets, and use most of the features that the website itself provides. Since Twitter limits you to 140 characters, URL shorteners have become much more popular on the Internet. Blu integrates TinyURL‘s services into it, making it so that any link that you post will automatically be shortened, giving you more room to explain what the link is about.

In addition to applications, which you can even find for your phone, there are many websites dedicated to Twitter sharing that have popped up. Some examples are Twitpic, which allows you to share pictures from your computer, phone or e-mail; TwitVid, which does the same thing as TwitPic except with video; and TwitDoc, which allows you to post full documents which can be shared with your follows through a web-based client. Using these, people and companies can share information with each other, or even share important current events which they happen to be capturing and witnessing at the time.

An uploaded picture on Twitpic. (Credit: Screenshot by Weasel Terrahawk from Twitpic)

That being said, Twitter has also become the biggest source of news on the Internet, for the sole reason that it is the quickest way of getting information to potentially millions of people in the matter of moments. Many major news stories, including the plane which went down in the Hudson River in New York, were first known about by a Tweet sent from a passenger’s phone, which was soon followed by the first picture, taken from a man on the rescue ferry (source Tweet from Twitter). Many television news sites, including CNN, used this Tweet and this photo as their first response to this story, and from there, began coverage. Obviously, news sites are able to pick up on these important stories quickly, but with the help of Twitter, they can get an immediate grasp of the situation from the source directly.

Throughout all of this, there are still people who find no use for Twitter, which is completely understandable. Twitter is fully about the spread of communication and information. It’s main draw is it’s simplistic nature. If you are looking for something which has ways to waste your time, then Twitter probably is not the source for you. But when looking at the idea of “social networking”, Twitter fits the bill perfectly. If you ever do sign up for Twitter, start by looking for companies that you deal with day to day. Many companies now have Twitter accounts in order to share information with their customers and fans, which can sometimes contain discounts, or first information on new products. Then, look for people who Tweet about things that interest you. Twitter has hundreds of functions, it’s all up to what you are look for in it.

Heavy Rain Publisher: SCEA Developer: Quantic Dream Release Date: February 23, 2010 Platform: PS3

There have been a lot of unique ideas that have been thought up of for video games. In most cases, it’s another new shooter, or some sort of role playing game with a new game mechanic. However, every once in a while, [... Read more here]]]>

Heavy Rain
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Quantic Dream
Release Date: February 23, 2010
Platform: PS3

There have been a lot of unique ideas that have been thought up of for video games. In most cases, it’s another new shooter, or some sort of role playing game with a new game mechanic. However, every once in a while, one game will come out that is so different, it will nearly define it’s own genre. Heavy Rain has been called an adventure game by some, and a psychological thriller by others, but Quantic Dream, developers of Heavy Rain, have called their game an “interactive drama”.

Holding a trigger button allows you to see what your character is thinking.

Heavy Rain lives up to being it’s own genre, as it uses gameplay mechanics that, while similar to some action adventure games in some ways, utilizes them in a way that none of them do. Everything that you are able to do to interact in the game is shown by circles and squares that appear in the world that contain a symbol or arrow within it, which signifies what you have to press or do in order for that action to be taken place. There is no user interface, and no complicated controls, just symbols which trigger an action. For example, in order to open a car door, you are shown a box with an arrow which points to the left, which tells you that you have to push the right analog stick to the left in order to open the door. Depending on how fast you move the analog stick is reflected in-game, as the animation only happens as far as you move. Of course, during fight scenes, symbols appear with a time limit, as the events are all happening in real time. If you correctly press the button shown, you will immediately see the positive results of your actions, and vice-versa if you fail to hit the correct button. However, one of the more broken controls is the movement control. To have your character walk when you have control of him or her, you must hold down the shoulder trigger and move your character’s head with the analog stick, facing the character the direction you want them to move. While this style works for the most part, trying to angle yourself perfectly so that you are looking at the item you want to interact with can be difficult at times, and since the camera stays at a single point most of the time, with the ability to change views with the press of another trigger button, it can become a frustrating task.

Throughout the game, you play as four different characters, each which you cycle through playing as. The transitions from one character to the next are smooth, and loose ends are tied up in the previous scene before it moves on to the next one. One of the unique features of Heavy Rain is the fact that if one of the characters who you play as dies in one way or another, the game continues to progress, just without that character in any of the story anymore. Due to this, the game’s story is very fluid, and will change depending on what choices you make in a previous scene, or depending on what happens to your character. Aesthetically, the appearance of your characters can also change over the course of the game based on previous decisions. This all being said, there are many different endings which are possible to achieve depending on what happens during each of the decisions you have to make throughout the game.

One of the many interesting situations you'll encounter in Heavy Rain.

The main draw of Heavy Rain is, without a doubt, it’s engaging storyline and immersive dialogue that connects the characters to each other, and more importantly the player to the characters. There are many times during the game which will test you on how you want to react; are you going to react as you think the character in the game would, or are you going to react how you yourself would in such a situation. There are also a few times where you really have to consider what feels “right” to you, and what does not. These decisions make the game very dramatic, and keep you on the edge of your seat, as you await what reaction you will get from each of your decisions.

Probably the first thing you’ll notice, though, is the immense visual style of Heavy Rain. Heavy Rain is one of the most beautiful games out there at the moment. It has an ultra-realistic style to it, on everything from the characters themselves, to the rain which constantly falls, creating an atmosphere which has yet to be rivaled. There are, of course, some imperfections with the interactions between the characters and some of the items that they carry and use, but overall, these minor issues are some that can easily be overlooked.

The graphics are unparalleled to others games right now.

To add to the atmosphere of the game, a beautiful soundtrack has been developed for Heavy Rain, making each situation that you are involved in a unique experience. The choice of music during each scene is well chosen, and was created by a special orchestra brought in to create the music specifically for Heavy Rain. The combination of the deep storyline, the engaging characters and the beautiful orchestral music make Heavy Rain a very unique game which is very worth a purchase. The question of replay value, however, is a questionable one. If you are interested in seeing a different ending, depending on how else you could make the decisions posed to you in the game, this game will last you more than the eight to ten hours that one play through takes. The one downfall is that, after you already know the full storyline, connecting with it in a deeper fashion after one play through is difficult. In any consolation, Heavy Rain contains an amazing 57 trophies, with two of them being “See all endings” and “Complete the story with four characters alive”, which are two tasks which will take more than one play to achieve. Overall, if you are looking for a unique, engaging game which will show you something new, Heavy Rain is definitely the game to pick up this year.

These Hopeful Machines By: BT Genre: Electronica Release Date: February 2, 2010

In his first album in four years, and one of the first major EDM (Electronic Dance Music) album releases of 2010; Composer, Producer and Artist BT returns with the two-disc album called These Hopeful Machines. The album can be found in major [... Read more here]]]>

These Hopeful Machines
By: BT
Genre: Electronica
Release Date: February 2, 2010

In his first album in four years, and one of the first major EDM (Electronic Dance Music) album releases of 2010; Composer, Producer and Artist BT returns with the two-disc album called These Hopeful Machines. The album can be found in major retailers that carry EDM albums in a two-disc set, or can be found downloadable online as such, or as a two hour long mixes, in order to preserve a flowing, non-stop style.

Contrary to many electronic albums, BT continues to show his musical prowess, with his mixing of an everyday music sound feel and electronic beats. While the songs are definitely of the electronic variety, each one uses a unique emotion to create an excellent sound. One could easily expect each song to sound similar, as most artists tend to use a very familiar beat in many of their songs, but These Hopeful Machines surprises, with every song having a different tempo, and sounding much different than the one before. Not to mention the amazing vocal abilities that were used in each of the songs, it makes for an excellent mix that makes you want to keep listening.

The first half hour is a great example of what to look forward to. “Suddenly” starts you off with a good classic electronic rock feel. Following that is “The Emergency”, which preserves the electronic feel but goes with a lighter song. Finally, “Every Other Way”, vocalized by Jes Brieden and released in a singles album late last year, is one of the most beautiful songs of the new year, with a light, loving tone, yet still keeping with the electronica undertones that BT is famous for. One could say that BT is a electronic, symphonic genius with this new work, and even non-electronica music fans can get in to this listening experience.

Usually an album is worth a listen or two, and contains songs that are extremely well know to the EDM community already, due to the various podcasts and mix/mashup compilation albums that are released these days, but BT succeeds in bringing brand new songs to the table, and making them so wonderful that they will stick with you for time to come. Just listening through, there feels to be an extremely high attention to the small details of each song, and the resulting songs are worth every second of your time. If you are a fan of EDM, or dare I say, if you are a fan of good music, and enjoy songs that are a little off the beaten path, with unique vocal and instrumental tones joining in, then These Hopeful Machines is an album that should be checked out.

These Hopeful Machines CD on Amazon.com
These Hopeful Machines (Amazon MP3 Exclusive Version) on Amazon.com
These Hopeful Machines (Continuous Mixes) on iTunes

Last week, Austin made an article on the current, sorry state of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. Reading this spawned some thought into me as well, as I also have accounts on a lot of MMOs, or have tried out a lot of different MMOs in my time. As Austin said, MMOs [... Read more here]]]>

Last week, Austin made an article on the current, sorry state of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. Reading this spawned some thought into me as well, as I also have accounts on a lot of MMOs, or have tried out a lot of different MMOs in my time. As Austin said, MMOs have changed over the course of time, and MMOs tend to change over their lifetime as well, as they have to try and change in order to attract new audiences, and/or keep their currently/previous audience playing. For some games this means adding full amounts of content which significantly change the game, for others it just means adding new features or areas that will keep players playing enough for them to have to pay for another month.

World of Warcraft

As shocking as it may seem to the hardcore game playing community out there, I actually do not play, nor do I like World of Warcraft. Of course, that’s not to say that I don’t know a thing or two about the game, as most of my friends play it. It just never hooked me though. And especially with how the game has changed, I don’t think it ever will either. As Austin said in his article, being able to level and get to the content which was once just for higher level players so much faster doesn’t exactly make the game better to play. Unfortunately I understand why Blizzard did such a move. At this point, most people who have heard about the game and aren’t playing it yet have heard from their friends all of the cool stuff that you can obtain in the higher levels. So when one of those people finally get into the game, they’re eager to get to that content sooner than later. In order to keep them hooked sooner, Blizzard just makes it easier for them to get that stuff, and then the player is happy.

In some cases though, they don’t purposely make the game easier for new players, but it just happens, at least, to the best of the consumer’s knowledge. That being said, I look towards Guild Wars, which technically is actually a CORPG, or Competitive Online Role-Playing Game, which is a term that was actually coined by ArenaNet, the developer of Guild Wars, themselves. To continue on Austin’s train of thought, with each campaign that was released, they added some sort of new feature which made the games easier to complete, and since each expansion campaign just adds to the map more or less, you can travel back to the original games with those features and be even more powerful than before. In the biggest case, the feature was called Heroes, which were customizable AI players which fought with you. I played Guild Wars on Day One, and it was awesome how people worked together to get through missions, and using the original AI players that you could add called Henchman was a challenge, as they weren’t that powerful. Now with the addition of Heroes, the idea of the game being multiplayer has somewhat gone out the window.

Guild Wars

Now of course, to every rule, there is an exception. Even though we complain about all of these different things which hinders the game in our eyes, there is one game that, at least in my own opinion, has done nothing but improve over the course of their lifetime. That game would be CCP‘s own EVE Online. EVE Online is one of those special cases because, honestly, it doesn’t have the kind of user base that these other MMOs have. That doesn’t stop it from being one of the most social and impactful MMOs on the market today. Every expansion that has been released for EVE Online, which is now up to ten plus, is a free expansion. In saying “expansion” though, I don’t mean in the amount of explorable space, but rather, the feature list. Over the course of the past years, EVE Online has not only improved in gameplay, but graphically as well, at an amazing rate. Most MMOs that you see leave their game where it is, and just go for adding content, which, in most cases, is what people want more. And the fact is, EVE does that, but also makes the game look just that much better in the process. It’s amazing what they’ve done with their game, and this is why I play it. And of course, it’s hard. Not TOO hard, but it’s difficult. There is no easy button in EVE, even for new players, which is half of the reason why is chases most new players away.

There are tons of MMOs out there, more than what one person could play at a time. Using Austin as an example though, you can still play multiple MMOs with only paying one subscription fee by hopping. And that seems, in the cases listed, that it might be the best idea. After time, people become bored with a game, especially one that they have to play for an extended period of time in order to get further in it. But when it comes to the developers’ choices in order to make the game more appealing, both for new players and for previous players, some of them could be better. Making the game easier may work for some people, but for others, we are just looking for more content, or improved features upon what the game already has.

EVE Online

Now of course, on the flip side, there are times when the developers DO make the game harder for players, which brings in the idea of “nerfing”, or changing what an ability does to not make it impossibly overpowered in many cases. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help make the player base exactly happy, although nine times out of ten it’s just the players complaining because they have to choose a new strategy to be able to beat a boss, or a certain area, etc. There are a ton of MMOs out there, and they are run differently in one way or another, yet at the same time, in some way, they all are run similar, as MMOs must follow a certain progression style in order to attract peoples’ attentions. Finding the right one for you, that doesn’t feel like it’s insulting your intelligence with how easy it is, but isn’t making you want to throw your computer out of a window with how hard it is, is the ultimate challenge of the MMO player.

Again Internet reference. Internets to you for laughing at it :D

So, MMORPGs. We love them, we hate them, we spend days on them, there have been GIANT studies on how they are destroying the lives of children in the world. I am a big fan of these games personally. I really enjoy playing [... Read more here]]]>

Again Internet reference. Internets to you for laughing at it :D

So, MMORPGs. We love them, we hate them, we spend days on them, there have been GIANT studies on how they are destroying the lives of children in the world. I am a big fan of these games personally. I really enjoy playing them. Yes I said “them”. I have accounts for the following MMOs: Guild Wars, World of Warcraft, EVE Online, Star Wars Galaxies and Champions Online. Now you are probably wondering, “Wait a minute there Mr. Jennings, you have four games listed there, that cost 15 bucks a month, at least! How are you playing all of them at the same time!?” That is a valid question, and the answer is, I don’t pay for them all. I jump around. Currently my EVE is active, and my Galaxies is active. That’s it. I like to keep my options because to be honest, I jump around. I will probably NEVER have a level 80 UBER Shaman in WoW, the main reason being I haven’t bought Burning Crusade or WOTLK. It is SO not the games fault either. I am the biggest ADD gamer ever. I will be in the middle of a boss fight in… Metroid Prime we will say, and I will turn it off to go play something else, because I get reminded of something in another game so I go play it. This is what I do with MMOs. I’ll keep a subscription going for a few months, then just let it expire, and go off to another game.

This frustrates my guild mates sometimes LET ME TELL YOU! So yes now to get to the point of this wonderful little editorial. MMOs are getting too easy, with the exception of EVE, and it’s not that it’s hard, it’s just deep. I have friends in all the games I play that have been around for years, and I have been told countless times that “vanilla” WoW was something reasonably difficult. It was level 40 before you got something to ride on, and level 60 before you got to get a faster one! These days, you get your basic mount at 20, and your epic at 40 (I am near certain). It very much seems that they rush you through level 1-60 just to get you to the outland so you can have REAL fun. My level 80 friends say that the game gets way more fun in the outland. It’s awesome blah blah blah. Now keep in mind, if you want to go through the dark portal, and ACTUALLY be in outland, you’re dropping at least another $20, just to get Burning Crusade. Plus another $30 if you want to pick up Wrath of the Lich King! So to do some math, your paying $15 a month, plus $20 for BC, plus $30 for WOTLK. And you are not going to get to level 80 in one month. I mean, sure it;s possible… but highly unlikely. There are power leveling sites you can use, but that costs hundreds of dollars, and breaks the WoW EULA. Good luck with THAT.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (WOTLK)

OK, seems my last paragraph turned into a rant on prices of WoW. It’s still a valid point, but that’s not what I wanted to get at. Money is money. It costs to keep these games running and, with the exception of Guild Wars, they all need a fee to keep running. The reason the money frustrates me in WoW is because they made the original kind of worthless with out the other two expansions. Level 60 is pretty low in the WoW world, and short of the battlegrounds, the chance for you to get ganked ["gank" definition] by a level 80 is huge if you stick to the basic WoW. I have a Warlock on Stormscale, and it’s level 50, or 52, something like that, and most of it I soloed. I mean, I had a few good runs through the Scarlett Monastery, that helped, and a friend who ran me through the Deadmines more times than I can count, but as far as questing goes, I did it all by myself. I have a Shaman on Dentarg, that I have up to level 30… maybe 25, that I soloed. The first 30 levels go by like nothing. And the latter 30, up to where I am at now, have been cake. And people still complain about how slow leveling is. I mean ‘scuse me? WTF? It bothered me when I was in a city and folks were whining that with the newest patch they actually made a few things HARDER. Oh noez, you actually have to get geared and take on Onixya with a reasonable amount of skill. WOE IS ME!!!!!!1!1!1!!!!!!!!1111! Lame.

The other game I play that has gotten stupid easy is Star Wars Galaxies. I started playing it back in 2006 and I loved it. I could have my own ship fly out bust some ties (Rebellion FTW) and it was easy when I started. There is a quest line that took me all the way to level 60. I mean it was one long aspirations quest, but still one quest group. Now the space is still challenging, you have to gear your own fighter go into space, fly patrols, blast ships. It’s awesome. I am now level 75, and most of those levels were achieved doing TADS, in-game lingo, AKA Ten a Days – they are little missions that you take from a terminal, and you go out kill two guys and blow up a flagpole. After the flag is blown up you get somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 thousand credits, and a huge chunk of XP. Enough XP that if you do ten of these missions, you typically get one level, almost two. It’s kinda silly. I mean it really is, with these terminals found the core of recent MMO’s. Run out, kill the NPC, get XP. Get to max level, own the people lower than you. That is what it seems like in WoW and Galaxies. Just blasting your way to max level just to beat on other players. Now I do know that there are RP servers in WoW, I have never personally played on one, but I am sure they stick to their story. Heck, maybe if I want to enjoy it more I should play there…

Star Wars Galaxies

Now then, Guild Wars. I love this game, but I have to say, it has gotten easier with each expansion. The original GW Campaign was tough, and getting skills was a reward for doing well in game. You had to use what you had, or pay to get new skills. It was tough and it was fun. You have to plan your strategy and know what skills will work the best for the NPC enemies you will be fighting. Same goes for PvP, which in this author’s opinion is the best out there. I love the PvP in GW. It is smooth and fun, and very enjoyable. But the later “campaigns” have gotten much easier. I started playing in the Factions game, and it was awesome, I loved it. When I picked up Prophecies, I realized how tough the game used to be. Then Nightfall hit the shelves and man it got EASY. Compared to the first game even it was quick. In Prophecies I am still working on a character that is level 18 or 19, the max level being 20, but in Nightfall, I think I hit 20 within about two weeks. It was fast. and it was much easier. They added in these Hero characters that you can customize, and they also level with you, instead of the “Henchmen” that you used to use in the game. These henchmen were capped at the lowest level you could be to enter the zone, or something like that. You can fully customize the Hero’s right down to the weapons they carry, and its kinda nice I have to admit. Instead of spending time trying to find a group and get people together to go do a boss, OH WAIT IT’S AN MMO!!!!! You are SUPPOSED to get people together and take on bosses! Yes GW tends to lean towards the single player but come on! That game, as all MMOs, are so much more fun when you are playing with others!

And that may be why they are getting faster and faster in moving you to max level. People do not want to work to get a group together of people that do not know each other. It seems that the focus of these games, have become “PVP AT MAX LEVEL” and not work with others towards a common goal. I know that in Guild Wars it seems that the only groups I hear of are ones that are people charging in game money to “Taxi” other players to other cities. I am even guilty of it. I use my Heroes first because I know that I can rely on them. I know that they wont drop out on me in the middle of a fight. Which is probably why people are moving away from player groups unless the ACTUALLY know the player at the other end of the Internet. I understand it. MMOs take a degree of commitment. You have to know going into it that you are going to have to spend some time on it. Which leads me to another point.

EVE Online

People don’t want to devote time to these games. They feel that if they have to pay monthly then they better get the reward right out. No working at your character, no spending months attempting to get to max level. I paid my $14.99, I want my max level! I don’t want to work for it! GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE! That and the plague of Gold farmers and sellers, it’s totally screwing the in-game economy. Players that want instant max level are using their real money to buy in-game items, just to get themselves to the  max fastest. On Stormscale where I keep my Warlock, prices for things are out of whack. I can sell a stack of 20 bronze bars for 20 gold. Thats right folks one gold, for one bar of BRONZE. On other servers the economy is not that crazy. Dentarg, where I keep my Shaman, things are normal. Stuff sells at reasonable prices, and the expensive items are actually good items that you would want to spend some gold on. I hate gold farmers, and sellers. That and they fill my inbox and chat with ads! I hate them. Let me say that again, I. HATE. GOLD. FARMERS. (And ISK farmers, and credit farmers, YOU GET IT.)

Champions Online, I don’t know much about you. I HOPE YOU ARE TAKING LESSONS ON WHAT NOT TO DO.

This also goes for you Star Trek Online. TAKE NOTES, AND DON’T SUCK.

So that’s how I roll. MMORPGs are AWESOME and they can be really fun. Until they get nerfed ["nerf" definition] to hell because of whiny lazy players. That’s the gist of it.

- Austin J.

I’ve always found it somewhat funny whenever people are so diligent to grab the morning newspaper and flip directly to their horoscope. Of course, it’s not to say that there isn’t some sort of validity in the idea of a horoscope, but most of the time they just turn out to be some [... Read more here]]]>

I’ve always found it somewhat funny whenever people are so diligent to grab the morning newspaper and flip directly to their horoscope. Of course, it’s not to say that there isn’t some sort of validity in the idea of a horoscope, but most of the time they just turn out to be some sort of quote, or message that someone has come up with. Or at least, that is how it seems to go most of the time. But how valid are our horoscopes? Is there something to knowing the angle of the sun, moon and celestial bodies at the time you were born, or on that certain day, that could actually mean that you can predict what’s going to happen that day, or at least give you sound advice towards it?

There were some days when I actually believed that it may be true, since it gave me great advice that I decided to take for the day, or it told me something that I could say the day was actually turning out to be. The problem that I find is that there isn’t a single, universal horoscope that everyone goes by. For instance, on a day like today, I don’t get the daily newspaper, so I can’t check what my horoscope would be according to it. So, of course, I take to the next most abundant resource of knowledge that there is in front of me: the Internet. Naturally, I go to Google and type in “horoscope”, and I get a ton of results. I decided to click on multiple of them, just to see if they were all the same, or if I should be reading a certain one that gives me the best day out of it. To my surprise, I found many different horoscopes, with no connection to each other at all:

The temptation to tell one and all that juicy secret you’ve been keeping inside will just about kill you, especially if you give in to it. If you’re brave and keep quiet, you might just be noticed by the powers that be, who will be impressed by your discretion. - horoscope.com

If you’ve been waiting for an auspicious moment to begin something new, now is the time. You’re better at closings than openings, but right now, you’ve got free rein to do as you please. - astrology.com

The hard work you have been doing lately is beginning to show positive results. Meetings or presentations show you as very well organized and knowledgeable. You may be able to bring a group together with words or ideas that are helpful to others. Later this afternoon, you may be challenging young people to write poetry and encouraging their artistic talents. There is a never ending need for original writing and you may take up the pen and create a story, proposal or poem yourself. This afternoon your homework will be exactly that . . . homework. You have company coming and will hurry through a variety of cleaning techniques that could have you huffing and puffing by the time your company appears. Advance notice is always welcomed. - dailyhoroscopes.com

Of course, at this point, I’m shocked and confused. How can the supposed exact same alignment of the sun, moon, stars, etc. come up with so many different ideas of what today should be like? This is where the idea of horoscopes fall apart for me, sadly. Then again, when you really think about it, the deep meaning to horoscopes are a lot more than just a prediction of how the day will go, or what will happen if you do what it says. Obviously, the idea of horoscopes derives from the idea of divination, which is the practice of attempting to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means [source].

Unfortunately, the concept of divination has never been accepted by the scientific community due to the fact that there has never really been any facts to prove that it works a significant amount of the time ever. And based on what I have planned for today, none of the horoscopes that I’ve listed really have anything to do or relate to today’s events. So are horoscopes just a load of crock, or is there some kind of validity to them, possibly based on luck of guessing correctly?

Continuing to research, though, I looked up my birthday specifically. For those of you who are unaware, my birthday is on December the 28th. Again, there is no way to tell the credibility of the article, but I decided to look up who and what I am, based on the day that I was born. The odd part of this is that the ideas provided by this certain writer actually happen to be more true than not.

A Capricorn born on December 28 has a style all their own. Self-possessed and intelligent, they have great social skills, including the ability to make anyone feel at home. They take pride and enjoyment in performing everyday tasks, believing it is through the minor events that character is formed and tested. They generally have a happy outlook. [source]

Now of course, reading into that could give one a bit of an ego, but in all honesty, for those around me, there is a potential that they may agree in the truthfulness of this. And reading on in that article, it goes on to talk about how one with my birth date look to lean on and see importance in being in a relationship, which I pride myself and dedicate myself to. Of course, not all of it is true (I don’t exercise regularly, although I could and should), but for the most part, this certain article proves to be very true and close to home. But does this justify that the idea of horoscopes are actually true? I have my doubts, but there is SOMETHING to horoscopes and divination that has some sort of valid point.

Try checking your own horoscope for a few days, and see what you think. Who knows, you may find that it may help you decide how you are going to go about your day. Post your opinions or finds in the comments!

That is a semi-obscure reference. 100 internets to the comment that gets it! That said here is the article.

My name is Austin Jennings, here for the first time on the Weasel Report! I am a long time friend and associate of Weasel. We have done a few podcasts (most notably our [... Read more here]]]>

That is a semi-obscure reference. 100 internets to the comment that gets it! That said here is the article.

My name is Austin Jennings, here for the first time on the Weasel Report! I am a long time friend and associate of Weasel. We have done a few podcasts (most notably our Weasel and Jennings show!), and now I’m here on the Weasel Report! I am going to be one of the new staff writers here and I am quite looking forward to it.  I personally love video games and quite enjoy them. I don’t know that I am a certain Genera fan, since I have all sorts of stuff… let’s see… Halo, WoW (Horde FTW!), Eve Online, Star Trek:  Elite Force (one AND two thank you), Guild Wars… the list goes on. Games are awesome. I’m going to be more of an editorial writer here, so less game news, more ranty news! :D Everyone likes reading ranty news right? Right!?

So yeah, here I am. I’m an open individual, I think that our current political system is bunk, and I am near certain that we are all going to live through 2012.

But since 2012 is coming and half the world is OMGZ WE ARE GOING TO DIEZ, I wanted to broach a pretty personal subject for me. I know that this is my first article, but I am going to talk about death. This is the part where the true fans stay or go right. Death is something, as much as we do not want it to be, inevitable. There is (for now) no good way via Science or anything else to skip death with, but in this writers’ opinion, and belief, it is not the “End” (I capitalized the E for effect). I am a member of the Mormon church, so I have an interesting view on death. See, I believe that Death is merely the next part of the plan. I believe that we came here to earth to live, get a life experience and eventually die.

That is the “doctrine” of my church. Its what I believe, and how I feel about it. I do not think that death is something to be afraid of or to not talk about. I have been to a couple of funerals lately and it has made me think. In the video game world, death is never a setback. Sure you may lose some experience points, or be forced to go back to a save point that sucks, but you can always keep playing. People for the most part do not live this way (I say for the most part because, we all know or know of an adrenaline junkie or two), because they are afraid of death. To go to the great <insert over used reference to heaven here> in the sky. It’s scary to not know what awaits us and what is there when we die. Is it heaven? Is it hell? Or is it nothing, simply no longer existing.

Death for me is not scary. Death is simple, I suppose. Sure there is the chance of pain and weakness leading up to death, but the whole dying part is not something I fear. What I fear more is the thought that I would stop existing. Trying to imagine all of the good things (and bad I suppose) I have done and all of the friends I have made, the people I have loved, and the things I have seen simply disappearing into the black is a horrible thought. I would rather have not existed at all than to cease existing. Living life has been far too worth it to not have it any more. No, I know that everyone is allowed their own opinion, but I will stick to this till I die (har har har). Death is not simply the “End” (there is that E again!).

Anyway, I know that death is something that can be hard for people. I know that sometimes the circumstances that lead up to someone’s death are sometimes very bad. My uncle died of cancer in 2005 and that was probably the worst experience I remember in my life.  He was in pain constantly, and was literally being eaten from the inside out. The funny thing is that he was always a character of strength in my life, so seeing him brought down like that was tough. As hard as it was for me through he always tried to look strong. I remember Christmas 2004, which was the last time we as a family saw him alive, he looked quite well. He was putting on a wonderful… I don’t even know what to call it, facade maybe… and he just looked happy, like he knew what was going to happen but he was OK with it because he would finally get a break. The funeral was a lot easier than I expected it to be looking back. In the months before he died, he got super skinny and well the rest is obvious. I was a pallbearer at the funeral, and the thing I remember most, was how light he seemed. It wasn’t just that there were others helping, we all felt as though there was nothing to it. It was odd, but it was good. I knew that my uncle was finally getting the rest he needed and was doing what he needed to do in the spirit world.

What? You are wondering what this spirit world thing I am talking about is? Well after we die I (and members of the Mormon church) believe that we do not go straight to heaven, but we go to a place called the spirit world. This is not purgatory, its more or less a waiting room for resurrection, which all men will receive, and final judgment. It is a place to relax and wait for the end of the world essentially. Then after that, like I said, all people will be resurrected, thanks to Jesus Christ and the Atonement (thats that thing he did in the garden of Gethsemane taking the sins of the world on his shoulder, so we could all live again).

So yeah. This is not an article about my beliefs totally, so if you want to know more let me know. I am going to go ahead and end this here, because I am sure that anything else I would say would be repetitive. I am open to discussion on the matter though, just let me know VIA the comment system here.  I don’t have a problem talkin’ ’bout belief. I enjoy it actually.

This is Austin Jennings, signing off for the evening!

Welcome to the 2009 Weasel Report Game of the Year Awards! Before we begin, please note: as with ANY journalism website, the opinions expressed on which games are the “best” of the year are those of the writer and not those of everyone. If you agree, disagree, or just want to make [... Read more here]]]>

Welcome to the 2009 Weasel Report Game of the Year Awards! Before we begin, please note: as with ANY journalism website, the opinions expressed on which games are the “best” of the year are those of the writer and not those of everyone.
If you agree, disagree, or just want to make a comment on the games chosen for this year’s awards, please click on the link at the bottom of this article that leads to the Comments section, and let your own opinion be heard!
So without further ado, let’s jump into which games are on the list!

Editor-in-Chief, Weasel

The Sims 3
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Redwood Shores
Release Date: June 2, 2009
Platforms: PC, MAC, IP

Only a few truly good PC games came out during the 2009 year, but one of the biggest releases of the year was The Sims 3. Of course, many people are going to say that The Sims is an extremely overdone franchise, and that all of them are just the same. Shockingly, though, The Sims 3 had enough of a leap of technical advances that the game actually felt fresh and somewhat new. With the third iteration of this franchise, Electronic Arts was able to implement some of the more complex features that many other games now have, such as the online store which allows you to purchase new content directly into your game. And of course it wouldn’t be a new game unless it had some visual and graphical advances as well. The Sims 3 is a great game to play if you have spare time on your hands, and enjoy the sandbox world that The Sims has been famous for for years.

Flower
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: ThatGameCompany
Release Date: February 12, 2009
Platform: PS3
Weasel Report Review: 90%

Flower is a download-only game on the PlayStation Network which came out very early in the year. For many game players, the name alone would chase them away, but for those who put down the small amount that it cost, they were not disappointed. Flower is one of the few games on the PlayStation 3 lineup to strictly use the Sixaxis controls to their fullest potential, and actually get away with using them successfully. Not only that, but this game tests the graphical power that the PlayStation 3 has by showing you an astonishing visual feast for your eyes. While the game is short, sadly, each level offers you a different color palette, and a different set of challenges in your way as you try and bring color back to the world through the use of flying flower petals. This game may not be for the most hardcore of game players, but if you are interested in a game with beautiful graphics and a gorgeous soundtrack, Flower is a game to try.

DJ Hero
Publisher: Activision Blizzard
Developer: FreeStyleGames
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Platforms: PS3, 360, WII, PS2
Weasel Report Review: 90%

With all of the rhythm and music games on the market nowadays, coming up with something original is a difficult task. And while many of those guitar and drum based games are good, DJ Hero brings a completely new style of music, and a new peripheral, to the game market. The DJ style of music is one that hadn’t been touched until DJ Hero arrived, and while sales weren’t too wonderful due to a high price point with the peripheral and the declining economy, the game still showed us that original ideas can work. With a great quality controller, and more songs than any other music game on the market yet, with more arrived via downloadable content, DJ Hero shined in a very unique way. If you haven’t at least tried this game out, it’s definitely worth giving a shot, and learning something about a much different atmosphere in the music world.

Killzone 2
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Guerrilla
Release Date: February 27, 2009
Platform: PS3

In one of the best sequels made for a game ever, Killzone 2 was a prime example of taking a franchise that worked, but a game that didn’t, and making it into a top seller once again. It’s hard to compare Killzone 2 to it’s predecessor because, while the game takes place in the same universe and with somewhat similar weapons, the game as a whole has improved beyond anything. And, of course, this game is graphically a beauty, showing how amazing a game can look in high definition. But it’s main shining point is the multiplayer component, which shows you that shooters can be more than just one boring gametype, by giving you changing objectives as the match goes on. If you’re looking for a good PlayStation 3 exclusive shooter, you’ll find this one highly recommended as a starter.

Assassin’s Creed II
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Release Date: November 17, 2009
Platforms: PS3, 360, PSP, DS, PC, IP
Weasel Report Review: 88%

If you ever played the original Assassin’s Creed, then you’ll know how amazing of a concept it was, but how badly it followed through with it’s gameplay. Two years later, Ubisoft released a sequel worthy of using the Assassin’s Creed name. After the main complaint of the first one was it’s repetitiveness, many more different types of missions were added, and a much deeper storyline was included to really make you feel as if you were the assassin, Ezio, instead of the ancestor Desmond in modern times. This game also continues to offer a large amount of gameplay hours, especially if you are looking to find all 100% of all of the hidden items within the game. Overall, Assassin’s Creed II was a great game, but with a sequel coming in the next few years, it’s still up in the air if they can continue to create a unique game all of it’s own.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Naughty Dog
Release Date: October 13, 2009
Platform: PS3
Weasel Report Review: 98%

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the best of all worlds: easy to use gameplay mechanics, absolutely gorgeous graphics, an amazing soundtrack, a hilarious voice cast, many hours of gameplay, and even a new multiplayer mode which feels exactly like Uncharted should. Uncharted 2 upped the bar for the action adventure genre this year by showing us a game that brings back good memories of the original Tomb Raider games. There really is never a dull moment in this game as it continuously gives you a different type of puzzle of game event that keeps you on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what happens next. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has been called an interactive movie, and it follows through with that calling with an excellent cast of characters, a suspenseful storyline, and a climactic end which keeps you begging for more. In a year full of great games, Uncharted 2 shines above the rest and has earned the Weasel Report Game of the Year Award for 2009!