It's been years since I've last written a video game review, and I'm hoping to get started off on the right foot in 2011.

The first game I have planned in my review queue is MACH: Modified Air Combat Heroes, an jet racing/combat simulator on the PSP. As much as I admire MACH for attempting to combine these two elements that should go together like peanut butter and jelly, there are just too many problems plaguing the game rising above mediocrity.

The racing isn't too bad. Being able to fly low along a jungle waterfall or a desert canyon is actually rather exhilarating, and the sensation of flying at over 600 kilometers per hour is portrayed well. The races themselves are a bit too short to fully admire, usually clocking in at less than two minutes each.

The combat portion of MACH -- especially dogfighting -- fares much worse. None of the weapons used stretch any imaginative borders; only mines, cluster rockets, and heat-seeking missiles are found in this repertoire. More damning is not only an appallingly random lock-on system, but also how said system causes an unadjustable camera to focus solely on these random targets.

My current plan is to have this review up by Saturday. However, I plan to prioritize myself towards my collegiate studies; I have an eight-week science class starting January 4. Wish me luck!

"Christmas has two S's in it and they're both dollar signs."

...Six days after breaking off one of my wisdom teeth at a pizza restaurant. Now I understand why I never went to a dentist before in my life. The experience is PAINFUL!

Today, around 5:00p PDT, I found out that I had five cavities, but all of them located on the left side of my mouth; so they have now been filled, and I had my mouth cleaned. Painful stuff, that cleaning, since my gums wound up bleeding for about three hours afterward.

Unfortunately, there's more work to be done. I'm gonna have to return to the dentist on Friday for a more thorough cleaning. Unfortunately, I'm stuck with my wisdom teeth for another week and change.

Living in the Mojave Desert region of California, I love it when it rains, but dear God, I HATE thunderstorms!

It's not likely that thunderstorms arrive in my neck of the woods -- and even rarer when such storms linger overnight. This is actually only the second time I've ever witnessed such a storm lingering overnight; the first was about 2-3 years ago in September.

The present thunderstorm has been in the area since about 1:00a PDT, and the lightning is still flashing, the thunder is still rolling, and my nerves are shaking. I'm finding it hard to get some good sleep, which sucks because I have an important college class I have to attend in the afternoon.

I hate thunderstorms.

It's been awhile since I've actually taken the time to post here, but I've been heavily occupied in school work over the past few months.

Now that I've said that, let's get to the point.

I've been playing Splashdown on the PS2 for some jet-ski action over the past couple days. To put it simply, I hate it. In fact, I can't recall the last time I have ever hated a game as much as I hate Splashdown.

Having played Splashdown's career mode on its "normal" difficulty setting, I've thoroughly found myself being the victim of what can only legitimately be called cheating -- specifically, rubber-banding opponents. There have been more than a few instances where I've completed a near-flawless race, eyes aglow with the prospect of a first-place finish, only to wind up having to restart because I haven't finished in a high enough position to advance to another race. And whenever I did finish well, it came off more as a scornful "it's about time" instead of a satisfying "YES!"

If I can get my bearings together -- or stock up on bulk aspirin -- I'll be posting a ripping Splashdown a new hole in the near future. Provided, based on my experience with the game, I don't actually get angry enough to puncture a new hole in the game disc beforehand.

I'm just writing this so I can say that I officially have one journal entry -- I detest the term "blog". I'm not the kind of person who wants to divulge every bit of his personal life. I'll likely only use this to type down random thoughts about video games. Of course, other subjects that I have mindless ramblings about will pop up here.


OK. Now I've got that out of the way, maybe I should include some content. Here goes.

I'm starting to think that I should really start writing some game reviews, but I don't honestly know where to start. I've got something like 200+ games at my disposal, but I don't know if I begin this foray with older games or newer games.

If anyone picks up this microscopic blip on their radar, don't be afraid to chip in with any advice.