Archive note: This post was originally published on GameSpot by ThumbsUpMaster on December 7, 2008. It is preserved as part of the ThumbsUpMaster GameSpot Blog Archive.

Readable Archive Version

I rented Fallout 3 last Monday and it was… meh. After I escaped Vault 101, the game got very boring. I guess I'm not a fan of "Do anything you want" action role-playing games like Oblivion. I get a "Ok.. now what?" sort of feeling. And can it get any more brown? It's like God took a **** all over the map. The next day, I watched The Butterfly Effect and it was alright although some scenes weren't thoroughly explained. Last Friday, I had the strangest dream. I finished watching an episode of 'The Daughter of Twenty Faces' and I was filled with this kind of enthusiasm I can't explain. It felt like the time when I watched the first 14 episodes back in September followed by Bridge to Terabithia the following night. When I woke up, I felt like I wasted all of October and November with so much mediocrity and repetitiveness (because refreshing Kotaku and Desctructoid, reading YouTube comments via e-mail, and chatting on MSN/Skype can get boring after 2 months) so I decided to "Expand My Horizons" a bit more by watching movies I've yet to see, rent video-games I've been wanting to try out, read some new books/novels, and listen to music I've never heard before. And so far, it's going well. That morning, the Resident Evil 5 Demo just finished downloading. I played the first stage available, which was awesome, and went off to the best place in the world, school. After school, I played the second, and last stage, available in the demo and took off to my friend's house. We watched Kung-Fu Hustle and played some RE5 Co-op, Garry's Mod, and Left 4 Dead. Saturday morning, I finished watching Charlie and The Chocolate Factory directed by Tim Burton. I can't really say if it's better than the 1971 film. Some parts like the introduction and story outline were much better than Mel Stuart's adaptation but it was also worse at some parts, like the boat scene and the lack of "You lose! Good day sir!". Later on, I rented WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009. The last Smackdown game I played was SvR 2007. I deliberately avoided SvR 2008 because of it's lack of innovation, which the WWE Smackdown series started to lack after Here Comes the Pain. Gameplay mechanics are improved this time around but there aren't any innovative breakthroughs like in Shut Your Mouth. The Highlight Reel video editor is probably my favorite game mode for obvious reasons. Create-a-Finisher is lacking and should improve next time around. Create-a-Superstar is the same as I remember it. This is my first Smackdown game with custom entrance music so I had a lot of fun creating me with "One Day Remains" playing in the background and Wilford Brimley with "The Beetis". Smackdown 2009 surprised me and I might give it a purchase sometime in the future. One my way back from renting Smackdown 2009, the last of my books (the others being the last 3 books in the 1-800-WHERE-R-U series) came in the mail.. the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Official Casebook Vol.1. Two copies actually came in when I only payed for one. Someone must have screwed up. I thought about giving it away but then I thought about how much this unused "Vol. 1" copy could be worth in years to come. Also, it is AnnaSophia Robb's birthday tomorrow so here's a "Gif". Can't wait to see Race to Witch Mountain next year! =D PS: It better be good.

Original GameSpot Version

I rented Fallout 3 last Monday and it was... meh. After I escaped Vault 101, the game got very boring. I guess I'm not a fan of "Do anything you want" action role-playing games like Oblivion. I get a "Ok.. now what?" sort of feeling. And can it get any more brown? It's like God took a **** all over the map. The next day, I watched The Butterfly Effect and it was alright although some scenes weren't thoroughly explained. Last Friday, I had the strangest dream. I finished watching an episode of 'The Daughter of Twenty Faces' and I was filled with this kind of enthusiasm I can't explain. It felt like the time when I watched the first 14 episodes back in September followed by Bridge to Terabithia the following night. When I woke up, I felt like I wasted all of October and November with so much mediocrity and repetitiveness (because refreshing Kotaku and Desctructoid, reading YouTube comments via e-mail, and chatting on MSN/Skype can get boring after 2 months) so I decided to "Expand My Horizons" a bit more by watching movies I've yet to see, rent video-games I've been wanting to try out, read some new books/novels, and listen to music I've never heard before. And so far, it's going well. That morning, the Resident Evil 5 Demo just finished downloading. I played the first stage available, which was awesome, and went off to the best place in the world, school. After school, I played the second, and last stage, available in the demo and took off to my friend's house. We watched Kung-Fu Hustle and played some RE5 Co-op, Garry's Mod, and Left 4 Dead. Saturday morning, I finished watching Charlie and The Chocolate Factory directed by Tim Burton. I can't really say if it's better than the 1971 film. Some parts like the introduction and story outline were much better than Mel Stuart's adaptation but it was also worse at some parts, like the boat scene and the lack of "You lose! Good day sir!". Later on, I rented WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009. The last Smackdown game I played was SvR 2007. I deliberately avoided SvR 2008 because of it's lack of innovation, which the WWE Smackdown series started to lack after Here Comes the Pain. Gameplay mechanics are improved this time around but there aren't any innovative breakthroughs like in Shut Your Mouth. The Highlight Reel video editor is probably my favorite game mode for obvious reasons. Create-a-Finisher is lacking and should improve next time around. Create-a-Superstar is the same as I remember it. This is my first Smackdown game with custom entrance music so I had a lot of fun creating me with "One Day Remains" playing in the background and Wilford Brimley with "The Beetis". Smackdown 2009 surprised me and I might give it a purchase sometime in the future. One my way back from renting Smackdown 2009, the last of my books (the others being the last 3 books in the 1-800-WHERE-R-U series) came in the mail.. the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Official Casebook Vol.1. Two copies actually came in when I only payed for one. Someone must have screwed up. I thought about giving it away but then I thought about how much this unused "Vol. 1" copy could be worth in years to come. Also, it is AnnaSophia Robb's birthday tomorrow so here's a "Gif".  Can't wait to see Race to Witch Mountain next year! =D PS: It better be good.