As everyone and their mother's know by now, Next Gen is upon us and finally here. I started it off on Friday, November 15th, alongside of thousands of other Americans, and can tell you Next Gen is definitely welcomed.

I pre-ordered both the Xbox One and PS4 and I can honestly tell you that I was not all that excited about the PS4 (even though I was going to buy it regardless). However, after spending some hands on time with it, I am very pleased to say that I am impressed. Not only is the system sleek, and pretty to look at, but the real catch for me was the Dualshock 4. My favorite controller is the 360's, and I never liked the Dualshock 3. It felt to slick, and cheap; personally. But the Dualshock 4 changes this. The controller is thicker, and more comfortable with a firm grip and analog sticks that don't slip or butt into each other. The touch pad is interesting, and it's too early to say if it's going to be here to stay. Killzone utilizes this touch pad well by allowing you to issue commands to your drone (Owl) with a swipe of the finger.

While I enjoy the system, and the user-face, I am extremely underwhelmed with the launch titles of the PS4. This is partially my fault, as I always buy cross-platform games for the 360, and am carrying this tradition over to the next gen with the Xbox One. So I will buying AC4 and Battlefield on the X1. Regardless, it doesn't excuse the fact there is not enough 1st party titles for the PS4 at launch. I bought my PS4 with only Killzone, and downloaded both Contrast and Resogun for free thanks to PSN (both are awesome games by the way). Knack never peaked my interest, and after the reviews came out, that just sealed the deal. So even without the multiplatform games, the PS4's lineup still falls short compared to the X1's when it comes to exclusives like Dead Rising 3, Ryse, Forza 5, and Killer Instinct.

With that said, Killzone is great. It's not "mind blowing" in terms of gameplay as it's pretty standard fair FPS (it is solid though), but the graphics truly grasp the look of a next gen title. I caught myself stopping mid game, to just look at it and even took some pictures of it to show it off at work. Truly remarkable how far games have come, and this game showcases it graphically.

Anyways, I just wanted to put in my two cents about the next gen so far. If anyone reading this picked up a PS4 or is planning to get the Xbox One this Friday, feel free to post your thoughts etc.Regardless of your preference, we can all agree that it is a great year to be a gamer.

What are your thoughts on this? I played through the first Assassins Creed, and absolutely loved it. I bought number 2, played about 2 hours of it and never touched it again...until now. Unfortunately during that time, I got side tracked with other games and Assassins Creed 2 got put on the back burner. Nearly 4 years later, I am now currently playing through the rest of Assassins Creed 2 (this was influenced by me completing Assassins Creed 3) and I have got to say it feels a lot better than 3. Don't get me wrong. I love the plot, and the setting for number three, and honestly I was more excited about three than I was about two...but the combat and climbing just doesn't feel as tight as Assassins Creed 2. Am I alone in this, or does anyone else feel the same?

As for me; I'm looking forward to Max Payne 3, The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition, and Dragon's Dogma. You?

This should come as no surprise to anyone who knew me when Oblivion released. Ever since Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind released; I have been an avid follower of the Elder Scrolls series. Skyrim not only improves the formula Oblivion introduced, but it also surpassed it in every way imaginable. This is by far, the largest game released this year. It's beautiful, it's large, it's epic. This is game is the definition of, "you got more than your moneys worth."

Runner up:

2011 was an amazing year in gaming, with a lot of huge releases. Several honorable mentions to: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Gears of War 3, Battlefield 3, Shadows of The Damned,Rage, Catherine, Dark Souls, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Uncharted 3, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and Dragon Age II.

Biggest Dissapointment of 2011 award goes to:

Other than the fact that this season has taken a toll on my wallet, and my social life. I'm so knee deep in gaming, it's ridiculous. I just completed the campaign of Battlefield 3 (FYI: It was great with the exception of the ending), and now to work on Rage, Dark Souls, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution all while continuing my online multiplayer domination of Gears of War 3 and Battlefield 3. I was supposed to pick upElder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but I'm actually going to pass since I know that game is going to massive, and that's the last thing I need right now. To make matters worse, my dumb ass decided to purchase Modern Warfare 3today on Amazon since it was only $50! Grrrr

...and I don't know why.

So yesterday, I was browsing the Playstation Store when suddenly I realized that the full game download for inFAMOUS 2 was showing with the "red" bag underneath it, meaning I had already apparently purchased it. Knowing well enough I did no such thing, I checked my bank account, I checked my previous transactions and found nothing. With that said, I then went back and checked again, and sure enough it allowed me to download it free of charge. Not quite sure what the hell happened, or if I benefitted from a glitch, but either way I am not complaining :D

As you have already seen and witnessed; Duke Nukem Forever released with HORRIBLE reviews. I honestly believe a lot of these sites were far too harsh with the game...BUT, I will say that the game definitely shows it's age in design, gameplay, and graphics.

Though the gunplay is solid, the entire game just straight up feels old all around. Even the graphics look dated, which is inexcusable considering it is powered by Unreal. DNF is extremely linear, which is not a wise path considering a lot of games in the same genre are very open and usually paced well. At least Duke's personality is fully intact, and he did get me to laugh. I purchased this game even after seeing the reviews for the sheer fact that Duke Nukem Forever became a piece of gaming history without ever even releasing. Now that it's released and I have been able to play through it, I feel relieved to FINALLY get it over with. Will I sell it? Maybe, maybe not. Call me odd, but it seems somewhat surreal to say; "I own and beat Duke Nukem Forever." I will say that if this game had released when it should have, then this game would've easily scored very high ratings. At least give Duke Nukem Forever a shot, just so you to can partake in a game that was once considered dead.

In other news

A game that should be in everyone's action collection has finally dropped to $20. And for $20, there is absolutely NO REASON to not pick this game up especially considering it was worth the original retail price in my opinion. What's the game?

Go get it! Well, that's all for now. I'll try to jump on more often...maybe.

To tell you the truth, I was not impressed at all really. While there is no doubt it looks good, it just doesn't look like anything I haven't already seen from the franchise. Even worse, it looked very similar to Modern Warfare 2. While I was really impressed with the gameplay trailers of Black Ops, MW3 seems to be the opposite.

In sales, we all know it will be ahead of the competition. That's a given. But as far as an actual gameplay and technical work standpoint; I think Battlefield 3 will blow it away.

I have spent a significant amount of time with the Gears of War 3 beta already. Though, I have only been able to play Team Death match and King of The Hill ("Annex" is no more), I can say as of right now that this may be the best Gears multiplayer experience yet.

First of all; anyone who plays online with me knows that I have been sticking to only single player experiences for awhile now, and kind of fell off the grid with playing online. The Gears of War 3 beta changed that. Anyone who also plays online with me knows that I'm a HUGE fan of Gears of War multiplayer; both 1 & 2. I've always choosen to play Gears of War online rather than both Halo and Call of Duty since I prefer the slower paced; more tactical approach (though some may argue that Gears just becomes a shotgun battle).

The Gears of War 3 beta feels a little faster than the past two installments, and the cover system seems to feel better than ever; thanks to the fact I'm not sticking to EVERY wall I run into. The new weapons like the Retro Lancer and the Sawed Off Shotgun have a great feel to them and are a perfect fit. Other new weapons include the One Shot and the Digger Launcher; which digs underground towards an enemy hiding behind cover. More powerful weapons such as the Digger Launcher and Sawed off shotty suffer the lack of ammunition and slower reloads in return for their ridiculous power to help even out the battlefield. The new maps are all large enough, and have some great vantage points. They all look great and I honestly can't wait to see what else the full retail game will offer.

All in all; the Gears of War 3 beta is an awesome experience. Servers are more dedicated, the game feels faster and more fluid, and the new weapons add a new experience to a familiar battlefield.

Bold, Beautiful, Raunchy, Addicting, and F****n' badass

That is my initial thought of the first two hours of my time with the game. I'm working on this one first, and once I'm finished I'm moving on to Helghast territory with Killzone 3 since Bulletstorm is apparently extremely short.

Till next time friends