Just like everyone else around the world I have been playing the crap out of Modern Warfare Zwei. And while it hasn't reached WOW type addiction yet, I am beginning to scare myself. Since coming home from the midnight launch (It was freezing and I had no jacket) and thawing out, I've been at this game. I played the first mission that night, and before I knew it I checked the clock and it was waaaay past bedtime. I'm a slow gamer BTW. I tend to go at my own pace.

The next morning around 9am I jumped online to maybe play the Hoth  snow mission and then grab some coffee and do whatever needs to be done around here. No. What ended up happening was that I got into some multiplayer with JVB, Heroic Superman, Robbie Jo and Scarfinger. It turned into me having my coffee while camping and eventually sneaking sips while running from bullets and firing blindly at shadows. I'm not that great at MP, but I'm learning. It was only my third time playing MP in the MW universe. 

After playing more missions it is sad to report that my apartment is in shambles. Weekdays are usually reserved for cleaning up, doing laundry, writing, or editing my podcast. I've done none of those things since this blasted game has come out. I'll be playing and then I'll notice the time. I've found myself getting ready for work guerilla style, doing ninja rolls over my bench press to grab my keys just in the nick of time. 

Oh, and fellas, if you're looking to shed a few of those unwanted pounds, this is the game for you. Since I've started playing this game I've had no desire to eat...it's like crack! All I want to do is play this game. Food? Lunch? No! I want my MW2!!! I can't tell you the amount of times I've had to eat over the sink quickly so I can get back to the game. And I'm not even talking about a real meal, always something nuked like frozen spicy chickens, fish sticks or hot pockets. Game fuel! Even while I'm at work I'll get antsy and I start thinking up strategy in my head. 

Even now, I close my eyes and all that goes through my head is me aiming down on somebody and pow!

Oh, and here are a few complaints I've heard from some of the neglected MW2 girlfriends.

I don't play, but my boyfriend texted me at 11:45 last night telling me he was at Game Stop waiting for it to hit midnight so he could by it. I ain't heard from him since. I have a feeling he probably played through the entire night and day.

i can't get any damn sleep listening to all these shots fired. my boyfriend is playing around the clock and will NOT turn it off.

Through the days of yesteryear there have been many games, arcade and console, that we have all kept imbedded into our memories as an F'ing awesome thrill ride! One of those games for me will always be the original Gauntlet. Crafted and placed into our arcades by the Midway gods, Gauntlet was one of those games that had you hooked right away.

You say the word Gauntlet to me and I immediately flash back to those days at the Silver Wheel Skating Center circa 198-. A group of us would walk into the dark building adorned with flashy lights  and fog machines, while snazzy polaroids of kids rollerskating and having fun hung along the wood paneled walls. I would walk over to where the arcades were, setting my feet on the maroon carpet with space designs on it. The Gauntlet machine and I did a quick stare down, a standoff to see who would blink first. I still remember the joy and mild fright I felt as I popped in my quarter and heard the creepy narrator's voice.It sent a chill up my spine. I'd spend most of the evening destroying the monsters and their caves while Michael Jackson and the Ghostbusters theme respectively played in the background. Then I'd stop playing just long enough to grab a slice of pizza from the snack bar, wolf it down, then go back to playing again. On most of these trips to the Silver Wheel Skating Center I wouldn't even skate. And if I did skate it would only be for a short time because I was anxious to attack that machine again. it tasked me! It tasked me and I shall have it! Aaaah the '80!. As I type this I can just hear Ah-a's "Take on me" playing in the background as the narrator warns me to eat my food, don't shoot it. 

That was then. It is now twenty something years later and Gauntlet still plays a part in my life. Around 2005 I worked at a Radio Shack on the south side of town. I remember I had to take two busses just to get to work. The first bus let me off at Town Center Mall, which, if you know your history well, is where the "Missing Trio" incident took place. Sometimes there was a long layover and I would kill the time by milling around in the arcade. One day I spotted something familiar. "Gauntlet Legends." I played this game back in 1998 when it was on the N64, but I had never seen an arcade version. I started playing it and the memories came flooding back. It played exactly like the old Gauntlet, with demons and monsters running out of dwellings to try to destroy you. It was hack and slash at its finest! And holy crap, I can save my game and my character?! I went back time after time to play Gauntlet Legends until the day came that I no longer worked at that Radio Shack, thus I had no reason that go that route anymore. *Le sigh*

I've thought about buying the console version, but unless I find it at Movie Trading I probably won't bother. I like buying from Amazon and ebay, but sometimes I don't wanna wait! One day I walked into a Gamestop and I saw something made of pure awesome. Gauntlet Dark Legacy.

I was told this was an expansion to Gauntlet Legends. And yes, it is basically Gauntlet Legends, but with a little more "oomph!" As opposed to only one kind of attack, this game allows for slow attacks, quick attacks, short and long. Also the difference in character classes is much more visible in this one. I prefer to use the Sorceress because she's so adept at using potions and magic. And if you know me, then you know I'm all about magic and potions! 

Dark Legacy is classic Gauntlet hack and slash, but with a bit of platforming added to it. While other Gauntlet console games can get redundant and boring, Dark Legacy finds a way to keep it fresh and challenging. I know I'll be playing this for awhile. And yes, I know about Seven Sorrows, but I prefer Dark Legacy, if only for the amount of characters and unlockables.