2/29/2008 - GAMERS ANONYMOUS

Since I'll be attending the Iron Man of Gaming 2008, I figured the best way to get back into the hardcore gaming community was to get a first-person shooter, so I went ahead and bought Call of Duty 4. I was reluctant to do so because I knew what would happen. The last time I rented a FPS, it was Resistance and I played it so much that the callous on my thumb reappeared (it appeared the first time when I was heavy into the Street Fighter games back in the SNES days).

The single-player campaign in Resistance was quite long, and the challenge level gradually got higher to where the last levels would drive you insane. And that's the perfect mix: first, it was a rental game, so I wanted desperately to finish it before I had to return it; second, it was a rewarding game... I mean the gameplay was tight and had a great presentation quality; and third, the challenging nature of the later levels would guarantee you would have to play them over and over again. Finally, add the fact that I am a type-A personality and you get one addicted player. Don't get me wrong... it was a good game and everything... it's just that playing the game for over six hours straight without even a restroom break probably wasn't very healthy.

After just two nights of playing Call of Duty 4, though, I did beat the single-player campaign (the reviews are right about its short nature). So it doesn't look like I'll be starving myself by playing this game. Although, I have yet to really get into the online multiplayer mode... so there's still a chance that I might have to enter a "gamers anonymous" program like in this skit: