Some say I have an addiction or a bad obsession is more like it - according to them. They said my once casual practice has manifested itself to an excessive overuse or full blown disorder. There are claims I will isolate myself from social contact and focus almost entirely on my addiction rather than life events. I don’t believe this entirely to be true, as the fact is sometimes, most of the time, members of my family are in the same room as me. They watch as I feed this need, for countless hours, being there with me during my different emotional states.

The concern isn’t for me so much as it is for my family. It started only a few months back. My youngest son, Jacob, came to me with an untamed look spread across his face. We talked and he explained his current situation and feelings based on his recent actions. His explanation was a near identical match to both my physical state and emotional condition when I fall victim to this addiction.

Is this a genetic disease which results in a persistent use despite possible negative consequences that I can pass down to my children? I do not know. This will need to be researched more to identify an educated conclusion. I will end this post with a definition of this so-called addiction of mine, and possibly my children’s:

Cheevos or achievies (officially known as Xbox 360 Achievements). These are accumulated points that total a Xbox Live user’s Gamerscore. Similar to the old school arcades from back in the day when players would enter their initials (or a 3-letter profanity) next to their score which is displayed in the game’s leaderboard or top 10. Cheevos are awarded for completion of game-specific challenges, such as killing a certain amount of players in an online match or beating a boss battle.

I’ve been wanting a Blu-ray player forever. Well, at least since the death of HD-DVD 6 months ago. So using my manly charm I was finally able to convince my lovely wife to invest in the hi-def format. Ok, that was a lie! I pretty much begged her with a bit of reasoning sprinkled in too. The $100 gift card Wal-mart was offering for free with purchase of a Blu-ray player definitely worked in my benefit.

What brand of Blu-ray player did I get? That was an easy decision. It’s the Blu-ray device with the biggest hi-def movie playback install base, fastest player, easy to upgrade the firmware, and also plays video games: the Playstation 3! I’ll have to pay extra attention now to my Xbox 360 as I don’t want it thinking I’m cheating with its main competitor. In my mind, the Xbox 360 is for video games, media and movies. The Playstation 3 is for movies and maybe a video game here and there.

In 2007 we had megahits like Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, Bioshock, Rock Band, and a little RPG by the name of Mass Effect. Other noteworthy titles like Assassin’s Creed, Crackdown, Forza 2, and Orange Box also gained high review scores and sold millions. Can 2008 top it’s predecessor?

This year we have Burnout Paradise, Ninja Gaiden 2, Unreal Tournament 3, Soul Calibur IV, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Saints Row 2, Too Human, Viva Pinata: Trouble In Paradise, Fallout 3, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Left 4 Dead, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, Gears of War 2, Fable 2, and, let’s not forget a tiny title known as Grand Theft Auto 4. Plus, Halo Wars and Alan Wake have yet to announce release dates. My guess is they are slated for 2009.

For me, it’s a tough call with games like Halo 3 and Mass Effect that are hard to beat. But major franchises like Gears of War 2 and Fallout 3 coupled with the record-breaking colossal success of Grand Theft Auto 4, could make 2008 the best year ever for gaming. I guess time will tell, but imagine the trend of each year topping the previous will carry on.

Below is a list of some of my most wanted 1:6 scale action figures from top line designers such as Hot Toys, Medicom and Sideshow. Fortunately, some of these are in development, well, one that I know of - Master Chief. You can bet it will be pre-ordered the day it’s made available! Also, the top figure manufacturers have licenses for many of these properties so I can only hope an announcement is made soon with one or more of my most wanted!

Master Chief (Halo 3)

Keep reading for the full list and photos…