Games we all play

Hello, with the state of the economy now officially downgraded from "rotting" to "gangrene", I've decided to give this whole "working hard while at office" a shot. So, expect the same quality (or lack thereof) in lower quantities.

I love gaming. I'm not a hardcore gamer, but I do enjoy the outburst of finger activity (shoo, dirty minds). Incidentally, there's a surprisingly high number of gamer chicks in the US - I personally know like, 3 of them. I've even met one in real life.

Anyway, I play a few games on a friend's xbox 360 I keep "borrowing" now and then. I used to play computer games from 2000-2003 until the world decided my PC was good only to run viruses (viri?). I'm not an off-beat gamer, I'm as mainstream as it gets. Therefore, presenting games that everyone and their sister like.

1) Soldier of Fortune - Okay, maybe not this one. Bad start, but I really do love this game. It came out in 2000 for PCs. I loved the special effects at the time. If you used the bad assed shotgun, the bad guys would lose a leg and/or arm. Headshots were freakin' awesome since their necks would have some flesh remaining. There were blood pools that would form, and the guys would wreathe in pain till they died. The game even counted how many poor sods got it in the family jewels. Hell to the yeah, I had some fun with that game.

2) Bioshock - Set in an underwater Utopia gone horribly wrong, this game actually blends suspense with morality. You're faced with the choice of saving girls with super powers and getting a small portion of the pie, or draining them of all juice. Well not exactly, but that's the gist of it. Superb graphics, shock tactics and variety of arsenal and "genetic enhancements" make it a super fun experience.

3) Call Of Duty 4 - I played part one on the PC and was bored by the time part two came out. WWII just isn't my thing. But COD4 is set in modern time. Features decent AI and great graphics. The weapons sound brilliant. Very good game if you need to switch your mind off and kill some, uh, terrorists.

4) Need For Speed Carbon - There are games that supplement great graphics with a tight storyline, superb acting and the ocassional joke. This isn't one such game. Campy overacting and a stupid plot drag this otherwise fun, simple race 'em and win cash enterprise. Times have changed since NFS parts 1 thru' 4, where all you did was pick a car, a track and race.

5) Dead Space - Sometimes, you play a game that's just so good, you dream about it. Well, sort of. This game is so fucking scary I had nightmares the first time I played it. The second time I played it, I was actually a bit queasy not knowing what to expect. A futuristic game set in a spaceship overrun by crazy aliens. Sounds old? Hardly. The creepy crawlies won't die till you hack their arms and legs off, will play dead to confuse you, will even charge at you minus their deformed heads. Look out for bloated tentacles, flying manta rays and babies with peacock-feather like snakes. The last one's hard to describe and imagine, just play the game already. Other features include 3D zero G puzzles, a superb HUD experience, and a decent storyline.

To do games #2, #3 and #5 full justice, play them with a 120 Hz HDTV with a 5.1 surround sound system at full blast. Neighbors be damned, they can sleep while driving on the highway.

Any games I may like to play?