Regular Columns

Addictive EA Sports Games, 250GB Xbox 360 & Sexual Achievements? - Welcome to the column that played a game for over 200 hours and then was told he couldn’t visit the petting zoo anymore known as Dare to Play the Game.

Kinda like last week, my gaming time was spent with two titles: Peggle and Shadow Complex. I’m about halfway through the Adventure mode again and I still feel confident about 20 million points. I’ve also taken the time to earn some of the Xbox Live achievements and actually beat some fellow players. By no means do I consider myself an expert, but in most situations I can hold my own. My mind is still trying to figure out how to complete some of the objectives in the challenge section but again those are purely when I got some time to kill.

Fable II Hate Mail, Guitar Hero 5 DLC Issues & Boycotting Shadow Complex? - Welcome to the column that was asked to discuss their morals and rejected that proposal based on the fact they didn’t have any known as Dare to Play the Game.

The term is Peggle fiend. That’s what I feel like from last week. I was about 1/3 through Peggle’s adventure mode when we talked last. I completed the adventure mode in Peggle and finished with 15.3 million points. Not bad for a first go. I picked through the various obstacles in challenge mode. I have no intention to complete all of the challenges but will attempt some here and there. Some of them just defy explanation. The other thing I did do was start the adventure mode again figuring I had picked up enough knowledge from my first run through (not to mention that after you complete it, you can use any of the masters in each stage) to make the 20 million points achievement on the second time around.

Earthworm Jim coming, No HD Cables with the Elite & Update for Madden already? - Welcome to the column that was warned about the deadly thing called Peggle but didn’t exactly heed the words known as Dare to Play the Game.

So, I actually bought a couple of games this week. Both of them for the Xbox 360. I first bought a collection of XBLA games, better known as PopCap Volume 2 which contains Heavy Weapon, Feeding Frenzy 2 and Peggle. I should have known better. I’ve been playing it on and off since Friday. I’ve gotten through the first four masters (not sure what to call them), and I’m working on the 5th. I haven’t run into any real problems, the most it has taken me to finish a level is a couple of tries. It’s so ridiculously simple, but yet I want to play it.

Guitar Hero: Van Halen Setlist, World of Warcraft Races & Roses for the Sweetie? - Welcome to the column that realized a long time ago that flowers are poor substitutes for excuses when they own a rose garden known as Dare to Play the Game.

Remember when I had a lot to write about in this space every week because I would either play some new 360 games or conquer something new in the World of Warcraft? Well I can’t confess to either. I did boot up WoW after the 3.2 patch and outside of installing add-ons and buying up a ton of mounts for my rogue (since they were extra cheap now), I didn’t do squat. Oh, I did fish. A lot. For some reason in my boredom, I raised my fishing nearly one hundred points.

More GTA Blame, Xbox Install Sizes Down & the debut of Chia Obama? - Welcome to the column that needed a sidekick that was even a less funny joke than he was known as Dare to Play the Game.

So last week was kinda busy for me, I finally finished my review of the Rock Band Country Track Pack, did a couple of No Huddle reviews and barely played World of Warcraft at all. So I won’t even spend a couple of paragraphs going on about how I grinded rep with some obscure faction for no purpose at all except an achievement or a title. (Hey, I know the joke already, so tone it down already junior)

Iron Man Lessons Learned, DS Piracy, and EA Tramp Stamping? - Welcome to the column that would tattoo their logo on their body but it would just end up being the butt of the jokes every other week known as Dare to Play the Game.

Well, one positive thing to come out of this week and that is I’m done with Warcraft for a little while. I finished my rep grind with Timbermaw and got my epic trinket for completing the task. In the midst of that, I received my copy of Rock Band Country Track Pack for the Xbox 360 from NewEgg.com with free 3-day shipping (it actually worked out to only two days). I am working on the review and it should be done by the end of the week, time permitting.

NXE Dashboard commercials, Ghostbusters busting budgets and Microsoft not Gay or Proud? - Welcome to the column that is straight but scared to know where his sensitive side has been known as Dare to Play the Game.

Once upon a time, I gamed on my Xbox 360. Then, the people of Blizzard put subjective thoughts into my head about getting to level 70 and becoming addicted to a thing called rep. The rest is history. *sigh*. This week in World of Warcraft, I did finally get my Ambassador’s title and then you would think I would put down my Warcraft and start up something else. Anything else. No...I worked on rep with Timbermaw Hold. Timbermaw…yeah the wooly things in the tunnel at Winterspring/Felwood. Got to within 8k of Exalted. Burnt myself out bad. The most I could do from that point was to go and group up for a couple of Auchindon dungeons.

EA vs UFC, New Michael Jackson Game and Am I a journalist or not? - Welcome to the column that has a job title that roughly translates into video game hack known as Dare to Play the Game.

Remember that whole spiel about how I was going to pick a new 360 game and play that instead of World of Warcraft? Hahaha, fooled you. Actually, more accurately I fooled myself. If you remember, I was working on my ambassador’s title and blacksmithing. Well, I did get exalted with Darkspear Trolls, giving me 3 out of the 5 home factions to reach that level. The remaining two did see a lot of growth. Silvermoon is now within 44 measly points of the goal (down from about 5k) and Thunder Bluff is 4300 away (down from nearly 14k). I’d say considering my progress over last week, I should have the title this weekend.