It's been one hell of a gaming season. Darksiders II in August, Borderlands 2 in September, Assassin's Creed III in late October, and it doesn't look like things are slowing down at all! I spent the first half of this month deeply involved in AC3, but after I played through that one i moved on to a few new games, as well as going back to a number of older ones on last generations consoles. But first, let's talk about what games i actually picked up. 

Believe it or not, the first gaming related item I purchased this past month was a NES controller. Why? Hell if I know. I don't even have a NES! I think it was because i saw it fairly cheap online, and it being essentially a mascot of gaming, I'm very proud to have it sitting on my TV stand. Someday I will get the console and games to go with it.

Later while roaming around the local best buy I ended up pre-ordering Dead Island: Riptide, and I got to go home with this sweet steelbook case. Unfortunately, the case isn't PS3 sized, but it's a minor gripe. Also, i was shocked to find that Riptide will only cost $49.99. If this is the new marketing for the current gen, I'll take it!

About mid-month Borderlands 2 released their 2nd DLC: Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage. You just can't say no to anything Borderlands related. Short but sweet, i enjoyed playing this through, adding more to the Borderlands 2 experience. Even if that experience only lasted about 2 days. You can decide it's value on your own, or read my review (http://www.gameinformer.com/blogs/members/b/blindfates_blog/archive/2012/11/23/review-mr-torgue-39-s-campaign-of-carnage-borderlands-2-dlc.aspx) but i enjoyed it!

I have to say that after that, I wasn't really planning on buying much else because of Christmas' fast approach, but money has a way of burning through my wallet, my pockets, and eventually the internet security of Amazon. After getting off a long overnight Black Friday shift I was browsing for any quick Black Friday deals online. I had been wanting Dishonored since it came out, but it's been out of my budget. So when I saw it on sale on Amazon for $25, I pursued on possibly the fastest Amazon checkout I've ever experienced.Hey, it still sells retail for $60! that's a good deal!

Another purchase I wasn't really anticipating: Me and my friend were at a Ralphs picking up some grocery items and we saw a Video Game sale bin. I mean of all places, I wasn't expecting one there. Anyhow, browsing through i came across Super Street Fighter IV for $15. I Probably could've found it cheaper online, but I figured, what the hell, $15 is worth a good time! So I got it, and in the past week I've played it with a number of  family and friend and had a blast. Even if I suck at fighting games.

Sadly, my addiction to building an ever growing backlog didn't end there. I had been playing Burnout 3 and NFS Hot Pursuit, and it made me think: How did Criterion come up with such a fun, and working system? So I looked it up. Before I knew it I was already hitting "Place Order" on a used copy of the original Burnout on PS2.

Well with Black Friday behind us, my paycheck finally came in. And boy was it a handsome one. I felt the urge to reward myself for that sleepless week and hard work that today i purchased a used N64 (it still has to come in the mail). Complete with the necessary cables and 1 controller. I used to have a N64, but I gave it away to a friend years ago once I had my hands on the PS2. one of my greater regrets in life, but hey, life moves on. Now i just need to re-buy all my old games! Think I'll start with Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and 007 Golden Eye. But those will probably have to wait a while.

As I Mentioned earlier, I've also been playing a lot of older games this past month. here's a list of what I've been playing apart from what's already been listed above: Assassin's Creed III, Burnout 3, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Halo 2, Lego Island 2 (GBA), and Battlefield 3.

Sadly, I couldn't afford to get all the games I wanted this month including Need For Speed Most Wanted, The Rockstar Games Collection, Lego Lord of the Rings, and more.

I have a good feeling about next month. Definitely will be getting at least 1 N64 game, most likely Super Mario 64, and the Mass Effect Trilogy. It's going to awesome. Plus whatever I can scavenge out of Christmas. Its that time of year. It's ok. Admit it. We're all at least a little excited.