I used to be a Playstation gamer. The PS1 and PS2 days were a good times for gaming. Sony ruled the roost and never looked back. We all know that changed when the Xbox 360 and then PS3 was released. The PS3 had everything going for it - except a decent price. All but hardest core gamer just wouldn’t pony up the bucks, making access the Sony-exclusive library a pipe dream for gamers like me.

You know the term “it’s like herding cats”? Well, herding cats has never been more fun than it is in Darwinia+ on XBL Arcade. It’s a great balance of RTS, puzzle game, and God sim. But I was surprised it ended up being a full title in my library.

Trials HD from the Xbox Live Arcade is another title saved by having a big TV. When I played the demo on my old TV, I just couldn’t get into the experience. The graphics were too dark and too small. But now, they’re awesome. This is game is what you’d get if Excitebike was really exciting.

Paper telephone was introduced to me by a friend during a party that had reached that critical point when everyone was gathered but had nothing much to do. Finding an activity that is fun for everyone is tough. Video games don’t work, trivia doesn’t always work, cards are a shot in the dark…but paper telephone seems to hit the sweet spot.

I saw Alien Breed Evolution on the XBLA release list and it looked like my kind of game. I never played the original version, so I got the demo and quickly found it is my type of game - shooting, aliens, spaceships…and not to mention a nice $10 price tag.

The lack of the arcade culture is something I’ve written about many times before. It’s something I long to see come back since I’m too young to have been there during its prime. The world on-line gaming scene makes it hard to be a local champ, so that leaves the only fun competition between you and your friends. But what if your friends play different games?

Outside of a house and couple cars, the new TV we bought over Thanksgiving is the single most expensive purchase we’ve ever made. Last year we wimped out. This year we were determined. Best part is, no one had to get up at the crack of dawn to get a good deal.

I know I’m a little late getting this one out, at least if two weeks is late, but I need to give props to Modern Warfare 2 for actually delivery a sequel that is far better than I expected.