Tin soldiers could start the war.

My two current obsessions, fitting in nicely with the blog title, are the album Win Us Over by ASG, & Halo Wars, the new RTS game for the xBox 360.

As I said in a recent blog, I wasn't sure what the hell I was gonna play after I'd finished Skate 2, but then Halo Wars practically fell into my lap. Having been a massive fan of all the previous Halo games, & longing for more, the idea of Wars was a bit daunting at first. Sure, Halo is one of the most successful gaming franchises ever, with the original somewhat revulotionizing FPS games, but taking that familiar format & turning it into a Real Time Strategy game seemed a bit of an odd decision. And the fact that this would be the first Halo game not to be helmed by Bungie left me quite skeptical! But my inner-Spartan came out on launch day & I decided to take the plunge & picked up the limited edition (yeah I'll admit, I'm a sucker for those limited editions).
After playing it for two days straight, I've gotta admit, all my fears about the game have washed away. Yes, it plays just like an RTS, but with one huge difference - it is specifically designed for the xBox. The controls are simplified, gameplay is engrossing & has real depth to it, not just like your standard RTS 'Build base, destroy other team' gameplay, you have missions to accomplish, whether its surviving long enough to help citizens of a city escape an attack, or to make your way to a rally point with some Plasma Tanks to take out a shield. And I genuinely got chills when the Spartan team showed up, as the original halo team played over it. The game is truly awesome, a great progression of the Halo franchise, proving that it is not just a good FPS, but an engaging franchise all round. I wait for Halo 3: ODST with baited breath!



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My other obsession is the album Win Us Over, by ASG, Southern/Stoner rock band from Wilmington, North Carolina. I heard the track The Dull Blade in Skate 2, & really liked the sound of it, so I went & downloaded the album (as Ireland is pathetic for bands with no exposure, most places had never heard of the band). After giving the album a listen last Thursday, I can safely say I am hooked beyond belief. The album is the best that I have heard so far this year. Crunchy guitars & pounding drums, all topped off with Jason Shi's incredible vocals, & awesome lyrics that get stuck in your head for days on end. For anyone interested in checking out some good southern rock, I would definitely recommend this album, & for casual listeners, check out the tracks Low End Insight & Gallop Song to see what I mean!