I haven’t played Modern Warfare 2 in quite a while, but I’ve had some time in the past day or so to get in some serious time on my XBox 360. I got to level 70 a few months ago, and gave up all of my hard earned perks and weapons so that I could go through the Prestige levels. Recently, I bought the Modern Warfare 2 Resurgence Pack to try and add some variety into the online gameplay, and I’ve been trying to get used to the new maps (which is no small feat by the way).

After playing for the best part of today, there are two things that are really starting to tick me off:

• Spawn Points
• Rocket Launchers

Spawn Points

There is no rhyme or reason for some of the spawn points I had today. Sometimes I spawned right in the middle of gunfire, or a player on the other team just happened to be coming by which made me easy pickings. The other thing – when I spawned at a decent point away from enemies, there was normally someone camping right at the spawn point. I mean really, does that seem clever to you? Are these gamers that desperate to get the extra kill that they’ll sit there waiting for a player to spawn? Where’s the talent in that?

Rocket Launchers

Modern Warfare 2 is a game which has had its exploits, no doubt about it, but they’ve been taken care of by the XBox team or by Infinity Ward and updates have been released. What I saw during my gaming today was just outright abuse of rocket launchers. There wasn’t a game that went by which didn’t have rocket launchers being overused, and by overused, I don’t mean using it for its intended purpose like shooting down planes or choppers, I mean gamers carrying them as their main weapon and using them in close proximity. Getting a headshot or knifing someone from behind is somewhat of a skill, but using a rocket launcher from close distance is just crazy. One of the game winning kills from today had a gamer walk up behind someone and within very close proximity fire a rocket launcher at them. Is a shot with a weapon or a stealth kill not enough?

I was so close to picking up and using the rocket launcher in the same fashion, but that defeats the whole point of playing Modern Warfare 2 online in my opinion. Anyone can pick up a rocket launcher and fire it at someone within close range, but the great players of Modern Warfare 2 are the ones who can rack up a winning score by conventional, smart gameplay. Have you experienced this – what’s your opinion?

I’m the XBoxGamerGuy, and that’s my rant for today.

There’s a pattern I’ve been noticing lately with video games – at least the ones I buy. They’re just not compelling enough for me to want to continue playing them.

My latest video game purchases include:

• Mass Effect 2: I played Mass Effect 1 to death and loved every minute (and purchased the DLC).
• Bioshock: I wanted this one because I wanted to know what all the fuss and hype was about with the intention of purchasing Bioshock 2.
• Borderlands: After listening to Major Nelson’s podcast and how they loved over it so much, I figured that I would pick it up and give it a go.

Out of those three, guess which one I still play? If you guessed Mass Effect 2 you were right. After playing through several hours of Bioshock and Borderlands, I fail to see what all the hype was about. Those games are just not compelling enough for me to want to return to them. I’m sure I’ve still got hours of play left in them, and the storyline may improve as you continue the game, but if I have no interest in the storyline, you’ve lost me.

I bought Modern Warfare 2 when it came out and I still play it. It took me an afternoon to get through the single player campaign, but four to five months later, I’m still playing it online and loving it. But where Borderlands fails for me as a game, Modern Warfare excels because they offer up an incentive for me to continue playing – increasing my level. Borderlands‘ ‘hey guys! guys! look! You can build a better weapon!’ got really old with me really quick, I’m sorry, but it takes more than a large variety of weapons for me to play the game – that’s just not enough. Bioshock is okay, but again, being okay is not going to get me to continue playing the game.

Fallout 3 is a fine example of a compelling game. I was drawn into it like I’m sure many of you were and I bought all five of the DLC’s. You can bet I’ll be ordering Fallout: New Vegas. A more recent game I’m really into right now is Dragon Age: Origins. While not offering up the same compelling gameplay as Fallout 3, there’s enough in it that I spent the vast majority of last weekend playing it (and purchasing DLC). Again, it has a great storyline.

So, all three people who read this blog, is the art of storyline development in the gaming industry waning? Or am I setting my expectations too high? Is it really too much to expect now that a game have a fulfilling storyline? And does a fulfilling storyline equal a compelling gaming experience? I want to know, really I do.

So thanks to the forum members at the TeamXBox forums I’ve made a choice of which XBox360 games I’m picking up this weekend:

• Bioshock 1
• Borderlands

I’m pretty excited about both of them, and Borderlands really fascinates me – I’ve heard so many rave reviews I’m anxious to get my hands on it. If you see me online, feel free to send me a friend request – I’ve heard Borderlands is a lot better of an experience played with others.

Okay, there’s a lot of games I want right now, but between work and other personal projects, I haven’t really had the time to spend on them that I would like.

I’ve been playing a combination of the following:

• Mass Effect 2 – Finally Finished it!
• Modern Warfare 2 – Still haven’t prestiged
• Dragon Age – left it after I couldn’t defeat one of the end level bosses

Since I haven’t played the first Bioshock, I was going to download it on XBox Live, but I’ve almost run out of room – I’m still on the default 20GB HD. I was thinking of buying the 60GB XBox 360 Hard Drive, but wasn’t sure whether to buy the 120 for about $150 – thoughts, opinions?

I can’t wait for Mass Effect 2 to come out (on Tuesday 26th). However, payday isn’t until next Friday, so I hope there’s some copies left at the local Gamestop. I heard a rumor that the choices you made in the first Mass Effect will have an influence on how you play the game in Mass Effect 2.

So, I’m currently playing my way through Mass Effect so I can shape and mold my player the way I want, and make the right decisions. Hopefully this isn’t a huge waste of time.

How are you spending your gaming time?

Thanks to the Thanksgiving holiday, I was able to get in a ton of gaming, and it was awesome.

I’m not really a huge online gamer (I prefer single-player games), but I’ve played a lot of Modern Warfare 2. I started out on Thursday with only ranking a 6, but I got it up to 20, 0r 21 today. The FAMAS Red Dot Sight for me is the best weapon in the game. I’ve played with the FAMAS so much that I got the Bling perk which allowed me to add on one additional upgrade, I chose the FMJ (increased bullet penetration).

The single player game I’ve been playing a lot of (I devoted one entire day to it), is Dragon Age: Origins. It’s incredibly indepth, looks really good, and has an enthralling storyline. If you’re wanting a game that is really value for money and you’re into RPG’s, then look no further than Dragon Age. I’ve easily clocked up 40 hours on this game in a matter of a few days, and I’m not even a quarter of the way through.

What games are you playing?

There are currently 50 days left until Christmas. While that may seem like a decent amount of time, don’t wait to order those gifts. There are so many good Christmas gifts for gamers this year that I thought I’d compile a list of the Top 5 XBox 360 games.

The list will be in reverse order:

Number 5 – Batman Arkham Asylum

This game makes my top five simply due to the fact that it’s blown away the genre. A superhero game that’s actually good! The storyline is excellent, the graphics are typical for the superhero genre, and the voice acting is superb.

When making purchases I don’t just purchase the game based on the game itself. When I buy a game, I want to get my money’s worth – with Batman Arkham Asylum you get lots of extra challenges that should keep you busy well after the big day.

Number 4 – Halo 3: ODST

The Halo franchise, exclusive to the XBox, is one of the all time platform best sellers. Halo 1, 2, and 3 are icons within the gaming community. When Bungie announced ODST they were taking a risk. Would the game live up to the hype? What would people think of a Halo game without Master Chief? Apparently a whole lot..

Halo 3 ODST is a game that gets better as you progress through the levels. The graphics are looking a little dated, but this doesn’t detract from the games awesomeness in any way. I got bored with Halo 3, but ODST kept me wanting to come back for more and see how the story ended.

Number 3 – Fallout 3: GOTY Edition

Fallout 3 straight out of the box is an absolutely immense game. I dare say it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played. However, when Bethesda released 5 DLC’s, it made the game that much more indepth (and that’s saying something!)

The story is engrossing, and the graphics are top notch. You could easily rack up hundreds of hours playing this game, it’s that huge. The game of the year edition will come with the DLC so you won’t need to download anything extra. I can’t say enough about Fallout 3 but let me put it like this, if you know someone who has an XBox 360 and they don’t have Fallout 3, go buy it for ‘em, they’ll love you forever.

Number 2 – Borderlands

I’ll have to confess, I haven’t played this game, but due to the response it’s getting from gamers across the country, I’d have to say this is going to be a title on many gamer’s Christmas lists.

Borderlands is a unique first person role playing shooter game. I say unique because it combines a role playing game with a first person shooter. The developers of Borderlands are proud to say that there are hundreds of thousands of weapon combinations in this game.

Players can choose between four characters that have their own special abilities to survive in a harsh terrain of wasteland planet Pandora. For those that like to take their gaming online and play with friends, Borderlands allows for a four player co-op experience like no other.

Number 1 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Probably the hottest game of 2009, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the game that everyone’s talking about. Videos and images leaked online have revealed some possible spoilers but that’s not getting in the way of the demand – it’s only increasing it.

Modern Warfare 2 brings back Soap McTavish as the single player campaign picks up where the first Modern Warfare ended. This game will be epic.

Honorable Mentions:

Assassin’s Creed 2 and Mass Effect 2.

On the Mac commercials they’re so proud of the saying ‘There’s an app for that..’

Being an iPhone user and a gamer, I decided to put Apple to the test to find out if what they advertise is really true. I have an iPhone 3GS and I have to say, it’s one of the best phones I’ve ever used. I use it for my email, Twitter, Facebook and a whole lot more.

However, I’m curious to see if it will enhance my gaming experience any. Let’s take a look to see the five iPhone apps I found that every gamer should have.

IGN.com iPhone App:

Like many of you, I often turn to IGN for game reviews, previews, screenshots etc. With their iPhone App, you can take those features with you. There are even video reviews. You can sort by game genre or by platform, and the rating the reviewer gave it is on the right hand side. You can bookmark reviews and videos, which is handy so you don’t have to go searching for it again the next time you want to see the review.

Inside XBox 360 iPhone App:

The only Microsoft endorsed mobile app for XBox Live, Inside XBox 360 comes packed with features. You first add your XBox Live Gamertag which then lets you stay connected with friends (you can see their online and offline status).

You’re able to scroll through various XBox 360 stories, game info, community news brought to you by Major Nelson, and game teasers and game trailers. I was surprised by how feature packed this one was. A worthy addition to my iPhone.

Modern Warfare 2 Countdown iPhone App:

Okay, I think we’re pushing it with this iPhone app, but still, it’s worth it just by the title. Modern Warfare 2 is arguably the hottest anticipated title of the year, and if you have this app, you’ll know down to the second when it’s released.

So, there’s my list, what are your favorite gaming iPhone apps?

I’ve been trying to decide for a few weeks now which game I was going to purchase next for my XBox 360. It was either FIFA 10, Borderlands, or Forza 3. I originally decided on Forza 3 after watching a video of the game’s development and playing the demo.

I went my my local Gamestop and was persuaded to fork out an extra $20 for the collectors edition. If you’re still deciding between the regular Forza 3 and the collectors edition, these images below of me un-opening the box may help you with your decision. Enjoy.

In the meantime, incase these images haven’t whetted your appetite for the game check out Major Nelson’s interview with Forza 3′s Dan Greenawalt.

I’m now going to load up the game. I’ll try and get a review up within a couple of weeks.

Extra Life, how many times have we needed those when gaming? Well, the good people of Extra Life (the Charity) are trying hard to hand an extra life to kids who are fighting cancer.

1800 gamers began helping this charity by getting up bright and early to play games. How awesome is that? Gamers began their epic 24 hour gaming marathon this morning in order to raise money for pediatric cancer research and treatment.

To find out more about Extra Life and what you can do to help them out, go check out their FAQ.