I just finished reading Halo: The Cole Protocol. I’ve actually read all of the Halo books now and I really enjoy the series. I’m not going to spoil the plot any further than what the back cover of the book gives, but one of the things I really like about The Cole Protocol, and really all the Halo books, is that you get the story from a lot of perspectives. At first you slowly get the perspective of two or three characters but by the end it quickly moves between 4 or 5 characters showing each situation from their point of view.

The story itself is one not previously covered in any of the Halo games or books. It tells about the mission that got Lieutenant Keyes gets promoted to Captain as well as gives some background to how the Covenant Grunts, Jackles, and Elites think and act. I especially like how the story picks up its pace as it progresses.

If you like the story in Halo games I would recommend checking out the Halo books. They keep the plot moving at a good pace and give cool background information about the characters in the games.

I finally got the last couple achievements in Lego Batman. This keeps my streak of getting all 1000 gamerscore points in every Lego game so far.

So I rented My Fitness Coach for the Wii thinking it would use the Balance Board. Apparently the folks at Ubisoft are too cool for the Balance Board because it does not. I did try it out for a little bit and I love all the options it has, but I don’t know how long I’ll use it since I’m spoiled by Wii Fit that weighs me in automatically. I wish they would release DLC for Wii Fit and give more activities, but for now I’ll keep trying whatever I can get my hands on.

More free time means more posts. Check out my recently published content on AC:

Top 5 Xbox Live Arcade Releases of 2008

After you check it out let me know what your favorite XBLA game of 2008 was.

I watched The Longest Yard last night because nothing was on TV. It was the remake that came out in 2005. I had never actually watched the remake but I’ve seen the original on TV in the past. I liked this remake. It had a very predictable plot, even if you have not watched the original, but it is pretty funny. It was not Adam Sandler or Chris Rock’s best movie by any means but they are really funny together. Plus, Michael Irvin was cracking me up in his role. Not because he was acting great, but just because he was in the movie at all. I would recommend The Longest Yard for anyone looking for a Sandler style comedy. Nothing too serious and lots of cheap jokes.

Here is the trailer:

Nothing like a good action movie when you’re bored at the In-Laws on a Saturday afternoon. I watched Doomsday this afternoon because I had nothing better to do. I liked it for the most part. Visually it was really great looking. A bit bloody at times but still with a really great picture. The story was a bit iffy and a little generic, but there were some great fight scenes and a great car chase (in case you have not noticed I love a good car chase). Really, the plot is just an excuse to have a hot chick get in some fights. Fortunately, Katherine Sinclair fights well and in ways that actually seem realistic to her character and physique. So, while the plot could have used some help, who cares? It is an action movie and the action parts are really great.

Here is the trailer for anyone who has not seen it:

Like I mentioned the other day. I’ve had some free time this week so here is a list of my Top 5 Xbox Live Community Games that I posted over on AC.

Top 5 Xbox Live Community Games

Happy Holidays everyone. I’m feeling festive and I’ve got a $5 coupon to GameFly.com’s Store that expires tomorrow. I’m not going to use it so if anyone wants to use it feel free to do so. Just leave a comment letting me know what you got with it. Here is the coupon info:

Coupon Code = GFRMXWGGCMLHMMRM
$5 Off
Expires 12/25/2008

I’ve got some free time this week so I’ve been doing some writing. You can check out my recently published content on AC:

Free Games Available on Xbox Live

It lists and quickly reviews the free games you can get on Xbox Live.

I finished up the all of the missions (both good and villain) in Lego Batman on the Xbox 360 last week and have been trying to get all 100% of the game complete. I’ve got a longer review here, but the short version is that I’m really enjoying it and I would recommend checking it out. I think it is better than Lego Indy was. Here is the trailer: