Welcome to Michael’s Blog!

Everyday this week I find myself getting up, attending a few business problems and just writing like crazy. As of this morning, I have written about 125 pages since Monday, and spend a good 8-10 hours a day on it, taking the only other breaks to eat, workout and make a blog post. I was slowly losing my mind in terms of needing a fun way to relax my mind before bed, and now that the Halo-Reach Beta is over, it was time for a new game.

There are two titles I am currently playing, Alan Wake, a thriller similar to Max Payne and Red Dead Redemption, a Western themed game. So far I am enjoying both of them but I think I prefer Alan Wake because it is visually stunning, and quicker paced.

One thing I have noticed with both of these games is that the line between a traditional "Movie" and a traditional "Video Game" is starting to blur. Halo is a pure video game. The graphics on these new games are so impressive, and some of the story lines are so well thought out, that when watching and even playing, it seems more like you are watching a movie. It appears as Cinematographers have played a significant role in how the scenes are designed.

Some of these games are even programmed to change their content and even how the story goes based on what you do during the game. I suspect that with time, this distinction between Movie and Video game will eventually become a completely new genre of entertainment, more of an interactive movie, all from your gaming console of choice.

As a side note, Alan Wake only has a rating of Teen, I think most people would find it pretty dark and scary, but Ill be honest, I already have nightmares almost exactly like it, so its no biggy to me. I haven't played it much, but so far I find it to be a great way to get away from work and relax a little before bed.