Game Launch Rock!

Extra Credits: Not A Babysitter

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Trailer

RYSE: Son of Rome Debut Trailer

Dragon Age III: Inquisition Trailer- "The Fires Above"

New Minecraft Ideas

So I play Minecraft quite a bit (Not as much as Skyrim, but hey, I don't play anything as much as that- not even Civilization V!), and since getting the beta version of the game a couple years ago, I've come up with some ideas for new items/features in the game that I think would be cool additions. These are the ideas I've come up with (with some help from friends, my brother, and a bit from the interwebs). I know that some of these (a lot of these actually) are already implemented in mods, but it would be nice for them to be in-game so we don't have to install as many mods, as well as to see the Mojang team's take on them. Let me know what you think!

• New blocks (Marble, Concrete, Red Rock {Like rock from Arizona or Utah}, Quicksand, etc.)
• New ores/metals (Silver, Bronze, Copper, Tin, Aluminium, Ruby, Sapphire, Steel, Tungsten, etc.)
• Half slabs and stairs for ALL blocks!
• Fences for all wood types
• Connect minecarts together like a train
• Magical spells
• Tinted/colored glass blocks and panes
• More food types (mutton, corn, tomatoes, oranges, etc.)
• More tree/wood types (Willow, Palm, Redwood, Pine, Kapok, Baobab, Mangrove, Acacia, etc.)
• Rope bridges!
• More weapon types (spears, waraxes, hammers, crossbows, daggers, maces, halberd/poleax, etc.)
• Shields
• Quivers for arrows
• New mobs (goblins, orcs, ent-like creatures, friendly dwarves, etc.)
• The Aether
• More dragons (maybe able to tame/ride them?)
• The ability to place redstone vertically and upside down
• Not needing a block of air above redstone circuits
• More enchantments (Frost, Poison, Lightning, & Wither Aspects)
• Double ender chests
• Obsidian tools and weapons
• Underwater foliage/items (kelp, coral, etc.)
• Grappling hooks
• Bigger boats (for 2+ people)...canoes maybe?
• Quarter blocks
• More pillar blocks
• A new source of fuel that's more efficient than coal, but less than lava
• New biomes (savannah, plateau, marsh/wetland, etc.)
• Villager soldiers/guards
• Backpacks
• New lighting items (lamps, chandeliers, etc.)
• Snorkels (improves breathing underwater)
• Underwater dungeons/shipwrecks

Things I Want Out of the Next Gen Xbox

With all the rumors flying around about the possible specs of the next gen Xbox, I thought I'd weigh in with my two cents worth. My ideas really aren't that original, but I still think that they're important. Keep in mind that a lot of these ideas are just rumors, and may never come true!

1. Backwards Compatibility
Without this feature, I will most likely not buy the next Xbox. I bought all of these Xbox 360 games for a reason, and I'd like to continue gaming on one console. Is it really that hard to do?

2. No "Always Online" Function
Not everyone has a good internet connection. Not everyone even has an internet connection in the first place. I don't think it's a good idea to alienate a possibly good chunk of your target market by adding this feature. Plus, gamers will be royally pissed if you do, especially if the reactions from the same feature in Diablo III and SimCity are any indication. Plus this seems like a ploy to help their ISP (Internet Service Provider) buddies make more money than they already do.

3. Blu-Ray player!
No explanation necessary :)

4. Lemme Play Used Games!
Seriously guys!? Seriously? If you're that bent on sucking as much money out of your customers as possible, then maybe used game stores can cut you a percentage of the price- I mean, you did make the game, and GameStop makes a butt-ton of money anyway. (fat chance that'll ever happen, but one can dream!)

5. Disc Drive
While if the next Xbox is all digital (like Steam) with no game discs, it won't be the end of the world, it would be nice to have an option to direct download it or play a game from a disc. Hard drives will run out of space eventually, no matter how big you make them. It would be nice to have enough space for games that release soon after launch, but also for games that release 5 years later.

6. A Tough System
Basically, I don't want my console to red ring unless I did something stupid to break it, or it gets really old.

7. It's A Gaming Device!
The Xbox is a friggin' gaming console, not a glorified cable box. Yes, those extra features are nice, but make them peripherals, not the sole focus. I mean, come on- the gaming tab on the current 360 menu is like the third tab over, not the main one.

8. Free Multiplayer
If the PSN can do it, why can't you Microsoft? I'd like to be able to play online and fully utilize all the functions of this game I bought without having to pay more money!

9. Keep the Controller Simple
Touch screens are cool and all, but make the controller easy to use/navigate, be wireless, be ergonomic, and not be freaking huge.

10. Don't Break the Bank
I honestly think that this won't happen- it's gonna be anywhere from $500+. If I decide to buy it at all, I'll wait for a price drop or a really good sale.

The Elder Scrolls Online- "Alliances at War" Trailer

How Gaming & Violence Really Work

If Pokemon Were Real

So with Nintendo announcing their next generation of Pokemon games last week, it got me thinking- what if Pokemon were real? Would I be a trainer, breeder, gym leader, etc.? What Pokemon would I catch & keep? Well, here's a list of Pokemon I would want to have if they were actually real (along with the trailer for Pokemon X & Y). This is definitely a culled down list- of the current total of Pokemon (which is 646) I narrowed it down to the 126 that I actually like, and then narrowed it down further to Pokemon I would consider as "my favorites". So this is actually only a list of 23 Pokemon that I would really want to have. I'd still try to catch the other 103, of course, but these would be my most desirable ones. They are in no particular order.

• Charizard
• Arcanine
• Rapidash
• Kingler
• Scyther
• Lapras
• Vaporeon
• Jolteon
• Zapdos
• Noctowl
• Houndoom
• Grovyle
• Aggron
• Sharpedo
• Numel
• Kyogre
• Floatzel
• Leafeon
• Serperior
• Zebstrika
• Excadrill
• Krookodile
• Braviary

What Pokemon would you have on your team? What type of job would you want to have? I think I would be a trainer, then maybe a gym leader when I got older. Most of my favorites are Fire or Ground type anyway.

Skyrim Dragonborn DLC Trailer

Skyrim Inspired Minecraft

11 Incredible Skyrim-Inspired Minecraft Builds

Also, Minecraft for the Xbox360 is getting an update soon- with creative mode! Yay update 1.8.2!!

Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen DLC Trailer

Dragon Age III: Inquisition

I feel like I should be way more excited for this game than I am. I loved Dragon Age: Origins, and though there were many flaws and changes I didn't care for, I liked Dragon Age II. I will buy DA3 when it comes out, it's inevitable, but I want to find out more information before I can geek out about it. BioWare's panel at PAX East this year helped to explain some things and assure me that they're at least trying to not screw this up. I think that they will be able to combine the good parts of both DA:O and DA2 to make an amazing game. BioWare is totally capable of that (as long as EA isn't involved). Here is a link to a couple videos of their PAX panel. One is a brief overview of their panel, and the other is a Q&A video. Pretty interesting info should be coming out soon!

BioWare PAX East panel

Skyrim: Dawnguard DLC Trailer

Assassin's Creed III Debut Trailer

SimCity 5 Announcement Trailer

Darksiders II "Death Eternal" Trailer

Mass Effect 3- Live Action Fight Trailer

Take Earth Back- Mass Effect 3 Trailer