Yeah. Not a lot of time for posting lately, and probably not too much in the next few months. We are all heads down really crunching to finish off Halo Wars before the looming studio shutdown. I actually kind of enjoy crunch -- I love my work so doing more of it in a day allows for a kind of focus and "deep dive" that can be rewarding. But a lot of crunch definitely adds up, and the hardest part by far is less time seeing my wife & boys.

I have been able to sneak in an hour or so of Saints Row 2 in the evening for the past week though. What a generous game. Everytime you think "hey that might be fun", the game is more than willing to reward you for it. No time for a detailed review, but if you liked the first one or the older GTA games, I'd definitely recommend SR2. It is wacky and over the top and just plain puts a goofy grin on my mug. Very, very, different in tone than GTA IV, but also a bit of a step back technologically.

Ah, I can only dream that someday Liberty City would have the density of actual interactive experiences that Saints Row 2 has. The Hitman activity in Saints Row 2 is worth having a whole game made around it if it could be in a world like GTA IVs...

With Saints Row 2 around the corner, I'm trying to finally finish my 100% run on GTA IV.  I'm just about done with the biggest single chunk, tracking down all 200 pigeons hidden around the city and exterminating them.  While it isn't quite as fun as the main story missions, it is still quite enjoyable -- really it provides an excuse to poke around the various nooks and crannies of Liberty City.

They really made a lot more city than they have game for.  I am constantly coming across some cool plaza, hidden park, or interesting architecture that is more or less completely bypassed in the main game.  While the DLC coming later this year is likely to add some new areas (I'm guessing another small island or two), honestly they could add a lot more gameplay within the core areas they already have and it would not feel out of place.

Ultimately, GTA IV is unlikely to displace San Andreas as my favorite in the series.  But like San Andreas, it is increasingly becoming a place I just like to visit and drive around in.